The Memory Keeper
by let-me-touch-the-bodt
Summary: Kimiko Kioku, memory keeper. Never forgets, always notices, from how the wind blew her hair to the lullaby her mother would sing to her when she was not even a year old. She remembers the blood, the glassy, clouded over eyes her brother had as he died. She remembers the first person she killed and how it all feels like it's falling apart. Minor KakaxOC, see inside for more info.
1. Chapter 1 Meeting The Team

Hey(: Here's the first chapter. The second chapter should be up by Sunday.

-PS: There will be some heavy Akatsuki involvement later on..yay(: I love those guys3

My name is Kimiko Kioku. I moved to the village Konoha about a year ago. Two weeks ago, I came home to find the bodies of my family. I was there in my brother's last moments of life. I lost my parents, one of my brothers, my sister, my cousins, my aunts and uncles and grandparents. My niece and nephew died as well. The remainder of my clan was either missing or had died earlier. It nearly killed me, especially the death and disappearance of my brothers, twins. Kazuo and Masao.

Kazuo was outgoing, full of care and love for everyone. Out of anyone I'd ever met, he was the most understanding. Masao was the most like me, physically and mentally. Masao had the same straight black hair. We both had the same straight nose, full lips, wide, calculating blue eyes, defined features, and soft, serious and sometimes deadly voice. His could be rough, angry. The only emotions my voice ever held was hatred, mixed with a touch of contempt and sarcasm (though it was rare I showed any emotion or expression at any time). I was shrewd, calculating, cold. Ever since a small age I was like that.

However, a few things had changed since the mass murder of my clan. Such as my clothing. I had adopted baggy black pants that cut off at my knees and bunched up ((AN: kinda like Kakashi's pants, but black...I need to describe it differently, I guess)). I wore a plain, black shortsleeved shirt with a sleeve less hoodie of the same color over it. What visible part of my arms or legs were wrapped with bandages. My hands were concealed by red gloves, the only color in my outfit. My sandals were black. Pair my attire with straight black hair, short, and I suppose you could say I looked odd.

Today was a big day for me. We were getting divided into our teams, the people we'd be spending time with for a long time.

"So today we're dividing up into permanent teams, composed of three students and their sensei." Iruka pauses slightly, eyes resting on each student for a moment and then moving on to the next. Like he was remembering us. "I'll tell you what team you are to be on, and afterwards you will get up to be seated with them and wait for your sensei to arrive. Understood?" Without waiting for an answer, he moves on. "All right. Team one..."

I look around the room, assesing each student. As long as I wasn't teamed with Sasuke or Sakura, I'd be fine. Hopefully, I wouldn't. Though I would rather work on my own, I understood team work was a key part in training.

"Team seven...Kioku Kimiko..." I pay rapt attention. I was about to learn my fate. I was free of Sakura; she'd been previously teamed up. So now I just had the chance of being stuck with Sasuke. "Uzimaki Naruto..." That was okay, great even. Naruto was a very caring person, albeit a trouble maker, and a very loud person. He would take a lot of the attention off of me. "...and Uchiha Sasuke. Team eight..." Sakura glares daggers at me. She had hated me since the moment she saw me, and now that I was on the same team as her Sasuke? She was burning with anger. I could almost feel it.

I show no emotion. That was a sign of weakness, something I wasn't willing to show I had. Naruto protests wildly at this. "HEY, IRUKA SENSEI! I CAN'T BE ON A TEAM WITH HIM! HE'S A LOSER!" Naruto points at Sasuke, and jumps up from his chair. "Naruto, be quiet!" Iruka shushes him, and Naruto sits down, grumbling about how unfair everything was.

Sasuke, however, remained silent. I could almost feel the anger rolling off of him in red, wrathful waves. As much as Sasuke probably liked to think he never showed emotion, he sure was bad at it. I could read the pain and hatred in his seemingly devoid of life eyes, could tell from his posture and body language what he was feeling. Call it creepy if you will, but I could do that with everyone in this room. I had silently studied them until I had them all figured out. That was one of the things my clan was famous for; they absorbed their environment, the people around them, the plants and animals and things.

On an off note, I was going to be completely occupied while waiting for my new sensei to show up.

So Naruto decided it would be a great idea to put a chalkboard eraser above the door so that when our new sensei arrived, it would fall on him. Sasuke commented that it wouldn't work because a jonin would never fall for something like that. I remain silent; I didn't enjoy talking. Soon enough, though, we hear the footsteps of someone walking towards the class room. They stop, momentarily, in front of the door. Then their fingers grip the door, and they step in. The chalkboard eraser falls directly upon his head.

The man has silver hair and a face mask covering the bottom half of his face. His left eye is covered by his leaf ninja headband. His eye is black. He's wearing the standard Konoha shinobi outfit, but with metal plated fingerless gloves. He looks down at the eraser, pausing slightly, as Naruto points his finger and laughs at him.

"HAHAHA! I GOT HIM!" He says, and Sasuke just glares and probably thinks to himself about how this guy is a joke. I just analyze the man. While he appears lazy, I immediately knew that was far from true. His muscles tensed slightly as he bent over to pick it up. Naruto was still laughing, and Sasuke's still glaring. Finally, Naruto stops laughing.

"Well, how can I put this?" The man, our new sensei, begins. "As for my first impression of you? I hate you." I don't do much of anything. Sasuke glares harder, and Naruto looks confused. "But no matter, let's get out of here." He sets the eraser on a desk, and waits for us to gather our things before leaving. We follow him to a rooftop garden. We set our things down and gather around to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, first things first," he begins. "Introduce yourselves. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams. That sort of stuff."

Naruto frowns. "Hey, you're our sensei. Shouldn't you go first?"

He shakes his head, but says, "Sure. Why not? My name's Kakashi Hatake. I don't really want to tell you my likes and dislikes; I haven't really thought about my plans for the future. But I have many hobbies."

"All we know is his name," I mutter.

"No matter," he tells us. "Now your turn. You start," he says, indicating Naruto. Naruto grins, and begins talking.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I really like instant ramen, especially the kind from Ichiraku when Iruka treats me! Uh, I don't like the three minutes after putting hot water in the ramen. My dream? To become Hokage, so everyone has to acknowledge me!" He finishes strong, adjusting his headband.

Kakashi's eyes narrow. "Uh, okay. Next?" He points to Sasuke.

Sasuke glares at him. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like much. I dislike many things; I don't have a dream...just an ambition. To kill a certain someone. I don't have hobbies."

"Interesting bunch so far. And you?" He looks at me.

"Kimiko Kioku. I enjoy silence. I dislike speaking. My dream is to forget. My hobbies, albeit unwanted, are observing." I tell him. Naruto's surprised and interested look is open. Sasuke tries to hide his curiosity, but fails. And Kakashi? He looks intrigued.

"Ah, a memory keeper? Interesting. My apologies regarding your family." He says, leaning slightly towards me.

"Yes. It's no matter." I respond quietly.

Sasuke breaks, and his curiosity gets the best of him. "What exactly is a memory-keeper?"

"Well," Kakashi begins, "it's a clan. Their specilization is observing. They have astounding memories. They watch people, analyze them carefully. They traditionally begin remembering things around the age of one and a half. They literally remember every waking moment."

Naruto and Sasuke both look at me with surprise. My expressionless eyes observe them. Naruto has the good grace to look away, but Sasuke remains looking at me. I stare at him, waiting for him to look away. After a moment of eye contact, he looks down.

My gaze flickers back to Kakashi. He stands up from where he had been leaning, and says, "Well, I feel as if I'm beginning to like you guys. Very interesting, different. Tomorrow, meet up at the northern training ground, at 5 A.M. And I'd suggest that you didn't eat breakfast. You might throw up."

Naruto and Sasuke look at him as if he's crazy. I simply nod, stand up, and gather my things. After a moment of hesitation, I say, "Goodbye." Tomorrow was bound to be interesting.

This chapter's kind of dry): I'm sorry! It'll get interesting soon, promise! Vote, please?


	2. Chapter 2 Dead Memories

CHAPTER TWO.

Yet another restless night full of nightmares. To describe it better, memories twisted into nightmares. I won't go through the trouble of telling you. It's too much for me to even experience them, much less replay them. Maybe later.

Let me explain a few things, though. I'm a memory keeper, part of the Kioku clan. I began remembering things at around 7 months old. The memories fell in patches and chunks from then until I was about 1 and a half, at which I began remembering literally every waking moment. It has become nearly impossible to get any sort of silence mentally.

Now imagine this- complete silence is never achieved. You're constantly plagued by every single memory of every single time that you felt sad, depressed, angry, embarrassed- every negative mood. This creates a mixture of emotions, none of them good. As a lovely side effect of being a 'memory keeper', a title most would love to have (ha. It's certainly not all it's cracked up to be, because it fucking sucks), if you don't perform a special jutsu specific to the Kioku clan, you'll go insane. Your state of health nose dives, and it becomes near impossible to eat anything without almost immediately vomiting it right back up. If you don't commit suicide from being completely miserable all the time, you'll starve to death.

Since I began remembering everything earlier than anybody else, I have a shorter life span if I don't perform the jutsu. I give myself until I'm almost 15, at best. The worst thing about this situation?

I never learned how to perform the jutsu.

The reason for that is simple- the members of the Kioku clan don't learn the jutsu until they are fifteen or fourteen, and since my whole clan (besides Kazuo, who was missing) was dead, I had no one to teach me. I'm only twelve and a half now. So, unless I track Kazuo down or find someone else who knows the jutsu (there's about a .00000001 percent of that happening, so I'm definitely not counting on it), I'll be dead within two and a half years. That's definitely not something I want to think about, however likely.

Despite the impression you might be getting from me right now, I am emotional. I just rarely show it, for reasons that are my own. The time I am sure to be set off is when someone questions why I see the whole 'memory keeper' thing as a burden. That enraged me beyond all belief. I had a feeling that the three boys on my new team- Naruto, Sasuke (emo that he is) and Kakashi- would be the ones to draw the emotion out of me. That thought made me happy, but I didn't smile

I get out of my bed with a bit of bitterness- I had gotten about two hours of sleep. I walk quietly to my kitchen, sparing a glance at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was four in the morning. I ignore Kakashi's warning to not eat anything. I knew I was getting too thin. I put two pieces of bread in the toaster. As I'm waiting for them to finish, I take a plate from the cupboard above the sink and grab the butter from my refridgerator. It, like my cupboards, was near bare. I needed to go grocery shopping.

When I finished eating, it was 4:15. I decide to take a quick shower, as I hadn't had enough time or energy to do it yesterday. When I make it out, it's 4:30. I dress rapidly-it would take me twenty minutes to walk to our meeting place, so I needed to hurry. I make sure to pack my weapons pack- I didn't know what we'd be doing today, but I'd surely need it.

I'm second to arrive, after Sasuke. He does nothing but spare me a glance. The wind blows through the trees, and I savor the relative silence. There were a few whispers in my head, but it was ignorable (AN: is that a word?) enough to make me happy. We stand there, together, in silence. Until Naruto shows up. He's quiet, at first, but soon starts babbling. I don't mind as much as I thought I would. Something about him put me at ease.

We sit there, waiting, for at least four hours.

I pause slightly before chancing a step from my hiding spot. Kakashi tenses, and then turns to face me. Internally, I'm a bit upset. On the outside, though, I show nothing (as per usual). He was really, really good- better than I had expected. I inch forward slowly before readying my kunai. I grip it tightly in my right hand, and then I rise to my feet, pouncing on the silver haired man.

There's a poof of smoke as the substitution takes place. I mentally kick myself-how had I not noticed? Whatever, it didn't matter now. I use my momentum to throw myself down, hitting the ground with force. The impact jars me slightly, making me loose my firm hold on the kunai. It falls from my hand. I quickly reach out for it, snatching it before propelling myself forward once more, turning my body around in the process. I come face to face with Kakashi-sensei. I jump forward yet again.

I'm coming at him with the intent to kill, or at least harm, him. He obviously notes this, and for once puts his book in his pocket. We engage in a brief bout where we're simply using taijutsu. I feel a bit dizzy, unsteady on my feet. The sudden exertion, combined with the fact I was already using strength just standing, had me a bit off. Suddenly, Kakashi's fist comes in contact with my chest, not enough to cause damage but enough to knock the breath from my lungs. A powerful memory is brought up by the simple action, and my vision begins to blur as I'm sucked in. I feel myself fall to the ground as Kakashi calls out my name.

"Got you again, Kimi. You need to pay more attention." Masao says, landing yet another blow on me. We were sparring and he was definitely winning. I was only 8 years old, but Masao was intent on preparing me to become a shinobi. "Again. Let's go." He tells me, and I get back in a fighting position. My entire body was aching from all the hits, punches and kicks dealt. But I wasn't going to get up-ever.

I push the door fully open, stepping inside. I could feel that something was very wrong. I walk down the hall slowly, noting the scent in the air and the way everything was too quiet, too still. I couldn't quite put a name to the smell, but it was repulsive. My stomach twists in anxiety, and I step inside of my living room.

My breath is forced from my lungs as I take in the sight before me. I only manage to catch it in glimpses- my mother's dress was covered in blood, and she was splayed across the back of a chair. She was obviously dead, apparent due to the blood and the wide, angry cut in her throat. My father wasn't even in one piece, bits of him -an arm here, a leg over there- spread across the room. The fan on the ceiling spun lazily, dripping blood. All the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were covered in spurts of the nasty red liquid. There were other bodies spread around -my aunt, my three year old cousin- the living room. A couch pillow lay shredded, the white feathers tainted with the sticky liquid.

All around me was death. The scent was finally placed- rotting bodies. I spot Masao. His hand was pressed to his stomach in an effort to stop the blood flow. His chest moved up and down with shallow breaths- he was still alive!

"Masao!" I cry, stricken with grief and guilt. Tears pour from my eyes, and I run to his side. I don't care that I splash up blood with every step, or that when I land in a heap next to him, I'm kneeling in a puddle of his blood. "We need to get you to a hospital!"

"N-no...Kami...I love you," he says, shaking his head. "I'm a goner...but K-Kazuo...he got out. Safe." He pats my hand gently, making me cry even harder.

"N-no! We have to save you! I love you too m-much to let go!" I stutter. I grip hand tightly in mine, squeezing.

"L-love you. I...don't let yourself get filled with h-hate." He tells me. His grip begins to loosen. I just cry harder and beg him to stay, to let me patch him up as best I can and take him to hospital. He offers me one last soft smile before slipping away.


	3. Chapter 3 Caught

Hi, here's chapter 3. Thanks for reading and all that good stuff. BTW, Sasuke's going to be a bit OOC in this story.

Disclaimer-I don't own Naruto): That right belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. If I did, the Akatsuki would reign supreme and they would have never died.

It was late afternoon. The sun was shining down, and there was a light breeze in the air. I was at the market, shopping for food. I was feeling mixed emotions- happy I had succeeded in becoming a genin, but rather depressed because of the memories coming back. Nevertheless, I was expressionless. As I weaved unerringly through the thick mesh of people wandering around the streets of Konoha, my mind was brought back to today's earlier events.

After being pulled into the horrible flashbacks, I had awoken to find Kakashi-sensei holding Sasuke face down into the ground. Naruto was tied up to a wooden post, protesting, very clearly upset. I sit myself up, gaining my bearings. Sasuke's eyes flicker over to me before looking away once again. When Kakashi-sensei sees I'm awake, he goes onto a very embarrassing rant about how we don't exercise the principle of team work. I feel ashamed at the end of it.

I almost sigh in frustration. I had failed. Kakashi-sensei passes Sasuke and I our lunches, completely ignoring Naruto. He tells us that he was going to run a quick errand (or something like that) and to not feed Naruto anything, because if we did we'd be sent right back to the academy. However, as soon as he does his transportation jutsu and leaves, I scoop up rice onto my spoon and command Naruto to open his mouth. Surprisingly, he does so without question.

As I'm doing so, Sasuke asks me, "What are you doing?"

"Teamwork. He's a part of our team, we need to take care of him," I say without sparing him a glance.

Sasuke looks angry. He snaps, "For a memory kee-"

"Do NOT speak of something you know nothing about," I hiss, letting fury leak into my voice. I slam the fork down on the plastic tray, turning to face him, and continuing, "You have no clue what it's like being a memory keeper. So shut up."

He has the decency to look relatively ashamed of himself. Naruto's cheering about how Sasuke was told off and how awesome I am. Instead of replying, all I do is nod and turn back to him, scooping up some more rice. Sasuke lapses into silence, nibbling away at a rice ball.

My system of feeding Naruto is working perfectly until Kakashi-sensei shows back up. In a huge, dramatic puff of smoke. Kakashi-sensei growls at us, "You three! "

Naruto screams something, but it's not easy to hear over the powerful wind. Sasuke hunches forward slightly, tightening his fist. I simply stand, not moing to shield my hair from whipping around me. I see a spark of something in Kakashi-sensei's eye. I couldn't quite place the emotion.

"You defied the rules, so that means you know what's coming..." He quickly forms a few handsigns. The sky turns black and lightning crackles, sending little shivers down my spine. He continues, "Do you have anything to say?"

Naruto's the first to say anything. "But you see..."

"Huh?" Kakashi-sensei asks.

Naruto, his voice getting louder, continues his sentence. "But! But! But! You said, sensei! We're a team!"

Sasuke glances over at Naruto. "We're a three man squad, right?"

"That we are," I add.

Naruto adds. "That's right!"

"You are, huh?" Kakashi-sensei looks at the three of us. Then he gives us a closed eye smile and says, "You guys have passed!"

"What?" Naruto exclaims. I remain silent, as does Sasuke.

"Uh huh," Kakashi-sensei tells us. "Ninjas must see through deception. In the ninja world, you're seen as trash if you break the rules. However, if you don't cherish your friends and team mates, you're even worse than that."

I remain silent as ever. Naruto's eyes water up, and he mumbles something about how Kakashi-sensei is kind of cool. Kakashi sensei only smiles and tells us that we would start our first mission tomorrow. He does tell me that he needs me to stay behind, because he has an issue he needs to discuss with me. I nod. Kakashi unties Naruto. Sasuke's already left, and Naruto says, "Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei! Bye, Kimi-chan!"

My cheeks almost flush at the honorific he added. "Goodbye," I tell him, not bothering with his name, as I was a bit confused on what exactly to call him. After hiis departure, Kakashi-sensei prompts me to sit down, and I do so.

"So, care to tell me about what happened earlier?" He asks.

"It may take a while," I warn, but he just nods and tells me to keep talking.

I start my story. I include the memories that came back, and the reason I was so different from everybody else in my clan. I also inform him of how I didn't even know the jutsu. He remains quiet the whole time, only nodding when appropriate. He doesn't interrupt, and makes no effort to speak.

When I'm finally finished, nearly an hour later, he has a thoughtful expression on his face, or rather, what's visible of it. I had to admit-it felt good to get this off of my chest. It made me feel a bit less alone.

"Well," he says, "I can't exactly say I understand your situation, I can tell you this. I'll tell the Hokage, and while he might tell others, we will find a solution to this."

I nod. "Thank you, sensei."

He grins at me, standing. I follow suit, brushing myself off. "No problem. See you tomorrow, Kimi," he tells me, doing his transportation jutsu and leaving.

"Goodbye," I tell him right before he leaves. I begin walking towards Konoha's market. I felt a lot better knowing that there were people who cared about my situation.

TBC! 


	4. Chapter 4 Discussions with the Hokage

Hey, Hi, Hello. Enjoy the chapter, please!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Woe is me):

Now, back at the market, I'm purchasing some food. I grab a carton of milk, a loaf of bread, some tea, rice, and a small container of butter. I also get some instant ramen and a box of cookies (I had a major sweet tooth, though I could barely stand to have anything sweet anymore). I pay for them at the counter and then exit the store, carrying my bags.

I get back to my apartment quickly. I unload the groceries and begin to boil water for tea. As I wait patiently, leaning against the counter, there's a knock on my door. I briefly wonder who it was. When I open the door, a chunin is there.

"Yes?" I inquire curiously.

"Are you Kimiko Kioku?" He questions.

"Yes," I tell him, frowning fractionally. I was a bit suspicious as to what was going on.

"I'm a chunin, sent by the Hokage to retrieve you. He requests your presence at his office promptly," he tells me.

"Just give me a moment to slip some shoes on," I respond and, once he nods, I disappear inside of my house to get my shoes. As I pass the kitchen, I duck inside to turn the stove off. I slip my shoes on and then walk to my door, stepping outside. The chunin is waiting patiently for me. I lock my door with my house key and slide it into my pocket; some people might be willing to leave their doors unlocked, but I was not going to take that chance.

We arrive at the Hokage tower in about fifteen minutes. The unnamed chunin leads me to the Hokage's offic. When we reach the door, he knocks quickly and I stand to the side. After a brief moment, there's a voice from within that calls 'come in', and the chunin opens the door and gestures me in. I step in, glancing around the Hokage's office.

He's sitting at his desk, writing away on a paper. The chunin doesn't come in; instead, he closes the door behind me, leaving me alone with the Hokage. Without looking up from his papers, he gestures for me to sit down. I do so, not showing a single bit of fear or uncertainty. I was a Kioku, after all. What'd you expect?

We sit in silence for a few moments. The only noise is the sound of his pen scratching against the paper. I can feel my heart thudding painfully in my chest.

Finally, he sits back. I had only seen the Hokage once or twice, only spoken to him twice, the second time only briefly. Even then, in those little flashes and that short little meeting, he had left a powerful impression upon me. He was stoic, as shinobi must be. He had been wearing the formal Hokage clothes, complete with hat. Now, however, he only had the robes on. All in all, though, he gave me more motivation to become an extremely powerful ninja.

He rocks back in his chair, studying me. I felt as if I was on display under his scrutinous gaze.

"Kimiko Kioku, one of two survivors of the Kioku clan... please explain how you came to this point. I need to know everything," he tells me, and I realize just how serious he is.

I nod. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

I explain everything to him, just as I had told Kakashi-sensei. After I'm finished with my whole story, he looks very thoughtful. I take this chance to let my gaze wander around his office, soaking in every single, itty-bitty detail. It took me all of forty seconds to observe every inch of it, and I could even tell you the titles of all the books on his shelves, the names of the maps pinned on the walls, literally everything. Even after, I'm waiting for Hokage-sama to respond, to do anything besides staring thoughtfully into space at a blank spot on his desk. What feels like hours later but is really only the space of seconds, he finally breaks the silence by saying, "Interesting."

"Pardon me, Hokage-sama?" I question. I felt as if it was the word that least described this situation. But, perhaps to fresh eyes it was, in fact, interesting.

"Interesting," he repeats, a bit louder. His gaze snaps to me, his eyes boring into mine. "Is there any advice you can offer to me in order to help us locate your brother?"

I almost bite my lip. I understood his mention of an 'us', implying there would be many more people involved in this situation that what I would prefer. However, this was no longer in my control. So I pushed my feelings aside and, after, swallowing a bit hard, I tell him.

"I believe he definitely would not return back to our former village, nor would he remain in Konoha. He'd go somewhere he wouldn't easily be noticed, such as a larger city. He'd also like change his appearance and name, whether drastically or not. He'd alter his personality as well, to more easily be in full hiding," I finish, taking a deep breath. I hadn't paused much.

Hokage-sama stands, gesturing for me to follow him. I stand as well, and follow him to his wall of maps. Some are old, some are new, some are of the Fire country and some are of other places. He points to a specific one, and I study it carefully. It was of the Fire country and surrounding areas, bigger cities labeled with a few facts about each (such as population, population density, that sort of stuff) and significant landmarks, like rivers or mountains, labeled.

"Please, indicate any areas or cities you believe he would go," he requests, and I nod. I take into consideration all of the factors of each area, and then rattle off the list of potential places. He nods with each one, marking each city or area I listed with a small red tack from a little wooden box resting upon a nearby shelf.

Once done, I apologize to him, explaining he could be any of these places and that I was sorry about not being able to narrow it down anymore. He simply waves me off, telling me that I provided helpful information and now they at least knew where to start.

"Unless you have any other concerns, you may leave now," he says as he's leading me to the door, a surprising kindness coloring his tone. I feel a rush of gratefulness at his words. He cared. I wasn't too used to that, so it came as a sort of surprise. I suppose that, possibly, this shouldn't have surprised me.

A sudden revelation occurs to me. People cared about me. I could list three of them, off the top of my head- Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and now, Hokage-sama. Nearly overcome with emotion, I bow respectfully towards him. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," I tell him.

He gives me a kind smile. "You're welcome, Kimiko-san."

After leaving Hokage-sama's office, I quickly become naseous. Before I even realize it, I'm ducking into an alleyway, puking my guts out. There isn't much to throw up, but I'm crouched on my knees amidst crystalline shards of broken glass and dirt dry heaving into some sparse bushes for a few minutes. As my stomach finally settles down, I stumble to my feet. Although I don't really want to admit it, I certainly did not compose myself with grace and poise as I walked out of the dark alleyway like I didn't just totally vomit in the bushes. Rather, I slouched out of the alleyway and towards my apartment with dust on my knees and a blank face.

Inside, my mind was racing with all of the new information I had to intake. Not only was I worried about my slowly plummeting health, but I was also caught up in becoming a genin and finding my missing brother.

Yeah, I had a lot going on.

Ta-da, chapter four. Vote, comment, fan, all that good stuff! 


	5. Chapter 5 Smile

Hey, Hi, Hello. Here's chapter 5. Enjoy, please, and don't forget to fan/comment/vote!

**DISCLAIMER- I don't own Naruto. That honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

When I make it back to my 4th floor apartment, I'm exhausted. I had been told I could take up residence in my clan's housing district, but the memories were too much and I turned the offer down. I still had to take care of the grounds, though. Which, by the way, I'd be enlisting my new team to help me do this weekend. Or whenever we had a day off.

When I step back in the door, I slip my shoes off without so much as glancing towards the kitchen. I was in no mood to eat or drink anything. I did turn the stove off before I left, meaning I didn't have to worry about it. However, I would have a small pot of water to deal with when I got up in the morning. That thought didn't bother me much.

I switch into a pair of black short shorts and a black tank top. I pretty much collapse onto my twin bed. My bedroom was tiny, as was my entire apartment. My bed sat against the left wall, a desk against the right. A closet door was a foot to the left of the desk. A large window took up a portion of the back wall, revealing a view of the Hokage mountain.

My sleep is plagued with senseless nightmares. I remember every inch of them- the screaming, the stench of burning flesh, the bodies scattered across a large field stained with blood. The weird thing was that I had never experienced anything like it. I'd know if I had.

After a night of little sleep, I rise to the beeping of my alarm clock. I allow myself to make one upset face at the ceiling before rolling out of the bed. I carefully make it before leaving- I was a neat freak. Before all the events that occured, I would have paused to put my slippers and favorite silk robe on. But now, after everything, I didn't even bother returning to my house to recieve any of my personal belongings. All of the things I had now- the clothes, the furniture, literally everything, I had purchased myself or had recieved from some well-wishers who'd heard about the massacre of my clan.

I walk quietly to my kitchen. I pour the water from the pot into the sink and rinse it out, filling it up again with water and setting it on the stove. I flick the switch for the burner on and leave the water to boil. I head to my bathroom to bathe. I took showers once daily.

I twist and turn the shower's knobs until the water reaches a comfortable temperature. I take my clothes off, barely stopping to toss them into the small wicker hamper sitting afainst the well before stepping into the gentle spray of warm water.

I shower quickly, going through my normal routine. Wet hair. Grab shampoo bottle, pull open cap, squeeze into hand. Lather, rinse, close cap. Take bottle of conditioner, tug open cap, upturn, pou carefully into hand so it doesn't spill and go to waste. Lather, rinse, close cap. Time to wash body- pull loofah off of the small hook it rested on when it wasn't in use. Hold in one hand while reaching for the bottle of body wash without looking (I never missed). Open yet another cap, and breathe in the comforting scent of lemons emanating from the bottle whilst upturning bottle over loofah and pour a generous amount on it. Close cap, set aside, then scrub every inch of skin until it's a bright pink. Shave where neccesary, completely rinse body, turn off water, step out of shower, grab towel, dry body, done.

It was a relatively easy process, but one that wasn't very interesting. Unlike most people, I didn't derive any thinking time from the process. It was simply that to me- a process.

I get dressed in my normal, everyday clothes. When I get back to the stove, the water is boiling away. I pour a packet of ramen into the pot. I grab a plastic bowl and cup from the cabinet- I didn't have a lot of dishes, but what I did have was cheap, easily breakable plastic- and a fork from the silverware drawer. I eat quickly, glancing up at the clock- it was 6:45 in the morning, and I had about an hour left before I needed to leave to Hokage tower to make it on time.

So I decided to re-organize my tool kit. I needed to take inventory of my items, and determine if it was neccessary for me to purchase any new equipment. I hoped I didn't. I wouldn't inherit my clan's fortune until I turned sixteen, and besides a check courtesy of the Hokage, I had no money coming in. The check was only barely covering for what I had to pay for now, and there wasn't much extra money for me to use on any luxuries. Though, I'd likely be earning some extra from completing missions. I knew it wouldn;t be much, but something was better than nothing.

Safe to say, a small weight was taken off of my back when I searched my items and confirmed that I had everything I needed and nothing needed to be replaced. However, that task took up a measly 30 minutes and I still had an hour to burn before departing. I use that thirty minutes to look through my apartment and straighten it up, even though it was already spotless. While the task was certainly not enjoyable, it helped take my mind off of some of my problems, and consumed some time. Once I had swept through my entire apartment all of three times, it was finally the perfect time for my departure to the Hokage tower to meet up with my team.

When I get there, Sasuke's already waiting. Naruto arrives shortly after, and we wait for Kakashi-sensei to show up. Naruto babbles away to me, and I'm very grateful for the minimal distraction. Even though I become occupied, I still note everything around me- Sasuke's near silent sighs of frustration, the way the wind blew through the trees, people talking, the faces of everyone who either entered or exited the Hokage tower.

When Naruto talks to me, I pay attention. I nod when appropriate and listen attentively. I can tell Naruto feels gratitude towards me, for the reason I was kind to him and actually listened. He goes on about his favorite types of ramen and his favorite place to eat, Ichiraku's. He discusses his thoughts of Kakashi-sensei and how he dreams of becoming Hokage. He does ask me a few questions about myself, and, as I'm not very comfortable talking at all, give as little detail as possible, but still answer the questions. He keeps up the talking for nearly an hour, at which point Kakashi-sensei has yet to arrive.

He does eventually stop, though, when the girl he had an intense crush on, Sakura, passes by us. He attempts to talk to her, but she only gives him a passing insult before going googly-eyed fangirl on poor Sasuke (don't get me wrong- I don't feel bad for him). Naruto looks depressed and sulks on a nearby bench. I observe with growing humor as Sasuke deflects her advances, which were getting more and more desperate.

After about five minutes of this, I allow a small smile to slip onto my face. I was trying to become more open with my emotions, but it was definitely hard for me. My smile slides right off of my face when, from behind, a voice says, "Oh, you're smiling?"

My posture stiffens immediately as I realize who it is.

Not edited, at all. Sorry): Enjoy the chapter anyway, yeah?


	6. Chapter 6 The First Mission

Hey, Hi, Hello. Here is chapter six. The next chapter shall be the 'c' mission with Tazuna, possibly more. In any case, enjoy this chapter and get ready for some upcoming drama/action in the next chapters.

DISCLAIMER-I don't own Naruto): frowny face.

WARNING- Our pretty little emo Uchiha gets his ass kicked. By a girl, no less.

"Kakashi-sensei, it is considered rude to show up two hours late," I mutter. (AN: Some of you might have been expecting someone much more interesting. Hahaha, nope! All in good time.)

"Ah, is it? So sorry," he tells me, using the same lazy tone but this time, laced with blatant amusement.

I have to force myself not to move much at his voice or turn to look at him. My posture relaxes marginally, but shivers are sent down my spine. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei, I hope you are," I reply.

"But it is amusing, hmm?" He asks, a playful tone taking place in his voice.

"I suppose that yes, it is." My voice is emotionless. I try desperately to rid my cheeks of the blush caused by his voice and proximity. He chuckles, and I hear the soft shifting of clothes as he steps closer. He stops as he stands next to me, quietly observing (such as I am) Naruto pouting and Sasuke deflecting Sakura's many advances.

"Mmm," he wonders aloud, "this shall be an interesting year, ne?"

For the first time, I look him straight in the eye. His squared jaw, the straight nose, the onyx eyes, the soft black mask that covered his face. His hitae-ate covered his left eye. "Yes, it will be," I murmur. I look away quickly, having already soaked in his face. He chuckles again before mumbling something about how I was acting shy.

I glance at him before quietly commenting, "I'm not shy."

He meets my eyes and raises a hand to ruffle my hair. "Sure you're no-"

He's cut off as Sakura finally leaves and Sasuke and Naruto note his arrival. "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouts. "You're late again!" He bounds over to us. Sasuke silently turns towards us, a smirk full of contempt on his face.

Kakashi ruffles my hair once more before dropping his hand from my head and replying, "Ah, yes, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the back way..." He trails off as he quickly realizes we don't believe him. "Well. Let's go get our first mission."

"Yeah, our very first mission!" Naruto shouts, pumping his fist in the air. We begin walking towards our destination. Naruto comments about how excited he was. I don't neccesarily pay attention, but I still process his every word. I'm more painfully aware that I was walking extremely close to Kakashi-sensei, a mere six inches. If I had the desire to do so, I could easily reach out and touch him. So, as is normal for me, I avoid physical contact with him.

When we get to the mission assignment area, Hokage-sama is there waiting, along with a man I don't ever recall seeing before. They welcome us and then give us our very first mission, a 'D' rank that required us to go assist some older woman with her garden.

It was a boring, menial task but it certainly kept us occupied. We pulled weeds, planted seeds, watered flowers, trimmed hedges and harvested a few fruit from a couple of trees. It took us roughly three hours to do this, and we were all hungry by the time we finished. The woman we completed these tasks for provided for us a platter of sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade. I ate half of a snadwich and managed to gulp down a few mouthfuls of the sickly sweet drink before deciding I had had enough. Kakashi- sensei eats quickly, enough so that we didn't have a chance at seeing his face. Naruto ate a couple of sandwiches and three glasses of lemonade, whilst Sasuke has two sandwiches and a single glass.

We left shortly after we finished eating, only departing after recieving the money and giving our thanks to the kind old woman. We walked back down to the Hokage tower. After turning in the money, we left.

Kakashi-sensei decided, oh so graciously, that we had done good on the mission and therefore deserved exemption from completing any more today. Instead, he told us, we'd be practicing our skills while letting him observe us and give us tips on how to do better. He assigned us each specific things. Naruto and I were to spar together while he was helping Sasuke with his skills. Naruto and I sparred for about thirty to forty minutes before we switched out. Naruto was helped with his skills as Sasuke and I sparred with hand-to-hand combat.

I was currently beating him. His speed and strength were decent, but not good enough. I dodge his punch while simultaneously throwing my clenched fist out to connect with his stomach. My strike hits, and he gasps in pain. I understood the basic mechanics of chakra control, and therefore charged my fist with chakra, enough to make it really sting.

The punch has enough charge to send him back a few feet. I leap forward, using my small side to my advantage. I bring my arm up, swinging my elbow down on top of his head in a swift, solid arc. It leaves him gasping on the ground, panting in pain and wiping a spot of blood off of the corner of his mouth. He grimaces up at me. I stare at him blankly before saying, "I win."

I turn to Kakashi-sensei, who's gaze (along with Naruto's) I can feel upon me. They seem to be very surprised.

"Naruto, you and Sasuke take a break and then continue sparring, hand-to-hand. Kimi-chan, with me please," Kakashi-sensei says. Naruto walks to Sasuke and they both sit quietly, catching their breath, while I drift over to Kakashi-sensei. He leads me a bit away, out of earshot, and stops walking, turning to me. "Kimi-chan-" -my cheeks threaten to flush- "- your hand-to-hand skills are very impressive. I must ask, who taught you?"

"My brother Masao touaght me everything I know."

"Ah, well, seems as if he was very skilled as well. In any case, what sort of ninjutsu can you do?" He asks.

"That he was. I can really only do the normal academy-grade ninjutsu," My response is quick.

"Okay, we'll definitely work on that. What is your chakra type, may I ask?"

"Lightning." I answer simply.

"Hm, I know just the techniques for you. For now, until you increase your chakra and begin to work your way up, we'll stick with basics. Now, I want you to try to gather chakra in your hand, enough so it's visible. When you've accomplished that, and I assure you it'll take at least a week or two, inform me. But that's pretty much all I can give you until you accomplish that. Today's training is over, okay? Report tomorrow at the same place as yesterday, and at the same time. See you later," he informs me, and I nod. We walk over to the boys, where my things are sitting. As I gather them, he tells them training's done and we can go home.

Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei are both gone quickly. Naruto hangs behind, presumably so her can say goodbye. "Naruto, goodbye. I shall see you soon," I tell him politely.

He grins. "Oh, Kimi-chan, I was wondering if you'd wanna go get ramen with me and Iruka-sensei?" He asks.

I consider it for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

Maybe I was finally experiencing what Kazuo told me all about- the camraderie, the team work, the willingness to sacrifice one's own life for the benefit of a team member, one who was like family. Perhaps this was only just the beginning.

-

Vote and comment, please! 


	7. Chapter 7 The Demon Brothers

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Here is chapter seven, part one of the adventure in the land of water. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I apologize greatly for the lateness. Hopefully this, along with the second upload later this week, will make up for it. Sorry if it sucks, but please enjoy it anyway. Tell me what you think of it!

-

Nearly one month of many D missions and some training later, we finally scored our first 'C' mission, courtesy of Naruto's incessant complaining. The Hokage finally relented and we were tasked with the escort of an old, drunken bridge builder back to his home.

The night before our mission started, I was busy packing my things in my room, checking things off of my mental checklist. I was bringing a few basic medical supplies, two sets of clothes, a little bit of food, a canteen full of water, a bar of soap and a light blanket. It was a bit heavier than I would have liked, but I was going to put up with it. My weapons pouch, full of kunai and a few shuriken, was to be strapped to my upper right thigh. I had finally decided to place my hitae-ate wrapped around my leg, just above my weapons pouch. Tucked away in my weapons pouch was a set of cards. Playing cards- any kind, even go fish or something similar- was something I rather enjoyed doing.

After setting my pack to the side and showering once, I fall asleep on my bed. We'd be leaving tomorrow relatively early in the morning, so I was going to sleep early.

My dreams that night are surprisingly tame-I dreamt of a memory from long ago, when I was a small child. My mother would take me from my crib and rock me gently in a rocking chair. As she did this, she would hum a little lullaby, one that was forever engraved in my head, while stroking soothing circles on my back. It's one of my favorite memories ever, because it was of a time of when things weren't so fucked up.

My alarm clock beeps noisily away, disrupting the sleep I was actually getting. I roll gracelessly from my bed before padding down the hallway and going through my normal routine. I drink some tea to soothe my stomach and I scarf down a slice and a half of toast. Then I'm off, walking leisurely to the gates. The normal guards, chunins named Kotetsu and Izumo, are there.

Sasuke is there a few minutes after me, Naruto following shortly after. Naruto and I converse for a few minutes before Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna show up. After that, we set off.

We're walking with little conversation down a path. We cross a bridge and soon after, I see something that doesn't quite fit. A puddle of water sits in the middle of the path. What was strange was that it hadn't rained for several days. "Kakashi-sensei, did-" I begin.

"Ah, Kimi-chan, just keep walking," he says quietly, an underlying tone of urgency hidden in his seemingly casual tone. I start to nod.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I spot sudden movement. Naruto, Sasuke and I are plunged into our first ninja battle as Kakashi-sensei is attacked from behind. Two men with strange masks and large metal gauntlets with a giant shuriken chain attached appear.

The next events happen in rapid succession. The chain winds around Kakashi-sensei and pulls. With a sickening tear Kakashi-sensei is torn to bloody bits. I feel frozen, seeing his remains. However, my body seems to switch to auto pilot as the men act. I jump in front of Tazuna and ready a kunai. Naruto remains still as the men turn to go after him. My voice is caught in my throat as I try to scream out to Naruto, beg him to move. Sasuke seems to be the only one who can function properly. Just as the men get close to Naruto, Sasuke springs into action. Tossing a shuriken and kunai almost at the same time, Sasuke manages to pin the shuriken chain to a tree. Sasuke lands on their gauntlets and pushes them apart. The men are forced to break the chain. As the men snap out of it and begin to charge towards Tazuna and I, I find myself throwing the kunai. It hits its mark and embeds itself into the stomach of one of the men. I'm in the middle of pulling another kunai out as Sasuke keeps playing hero and jumps in front of me. Just in time, Kakashi-sensei's 'remains' are engulfed in a plume of smoke. As it clears, it's revealed it was a simple substitution jutsu. Kakashi-sensei appears in between the men and incapacitates them.

I let out a slow breath as my body relaxes and the threat is reduced. I mechanically slip the kunai back into my weapons pouch. I hear Kakashi-sensei admonish Naruto for freezing up and congratulate Sasuke and I for 'doing a good job'. I mentally roll my eyes. Kakashi-sensei's offhanded comment on Naruto's inability to move might have seemed relatively innocent, but it hits its mark. It was anything but innocent, and all of us, even Tazuna, knew that. Not only that, but I was greatly upset that Sasuke apparently felt the need to intervene with my guarding of Tazuna. I'm ready to dart forward and stab Sasuke with my kunai as he steps away, turns back to look at me and say, "You're welcome."

I walk quietly, impassive, after Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna. I stop in place as Sasuke asks Naruto, "Are you sure you're not hurt, scaredy cat?" If I thought I was angry before, it paled in comparison. My blood was officially boiling with rage. I turn to look at Sasuke before continuing on. It wouldn't be right to murder my team mate in the middle of a mission. So I keep walking, as do Naruto and Sasuke.

"By the way, Naruto, there's poison on these claws. You need to open the wound and drain the blood out," Kakashi-sensei informs him before dragging the men away.

I swear to Kami that if I see one more self righteous smirk from Sasuke, I shall disregard all ninja rules and kill him.

So it only makes sense for Sasuke to glance over at Naruto with that stupid little smirk of his. I exhale rather loudly, drawing attention from the team and Tazuna. We had been standing in relative silence, taking a small break. Kakashi-sensei had already tied the two guys to a large tree.

My voice is low, but catches every ounce of attention. "Sasuke Uchiha, if you do not cease the self righteous smirks and holier-than-thou attitude, I will not hesitate to seriously injure you. Everyone reacts differently to certain situations. Simply because Naruto didn't choose as good a course of action as you did, but that does not entitle you to any sort of gloating rights nor does it put you in a higher position or worthiness. He will redeem himself, and that will be that. And in any case, I am perfectly capable of performing well without you guarding me from an enemy," I finish. My arms are crossed in front of me and an apathetic tone colors my voice. I look at Sasuke directly in his incredulous eyes.

Every one is surprised, whether it be from the length of my words, the content and implications, or a mixture of both. Sasuke's mouth is hanging open a bit, Naruto looks glad I defended him, Tazuna a bit confused and likely not following the exchange, and Kakashi-sensei looks impressed, actually. That lifts my mood because, I'll admit, I was developing a small crush on him. I figured it was just normal and that my feelings would swiftly disappear. So I hoped, at least.

"Well," Kakashi-sensei whistles, hand on the back of his head, "Sure wasn't expecting that one."

-

The end. The rest of the adventure in the land of waves shall be in the next chapter. I hope you liked this one, in any case. It kinda sucks, in my opinion, and I've written and re-written this flippin' chapter what feels like a billion times, but I have to post something. Please vote and comment! BTW, the song on the side is 'Kristy Killings' by Snow White's Poison Bite. It's a pretty cool song, but doesn't fit the chapter in any way. Oh well! 


	8. Chapter 8 Silent Killing

I suck T_T. I am so sorry. I don't even have a reason. Stress? Haa, no, not a reason. An excuse, but not a reason. In any case, here is the eighth chapter. I hope it doesn't suck): It includes some one-on-one training with Kakashi and Kimi, which is always good! Anyways, let's get on with it! I present to you, Chapter Eight! OH! Also, I'll be cutting some things out in order to get through the 'Land of Waves' arc, because I've spent waaaayyy too much time on it. So don't expect much of anything in the fighting aspect, because I'm just so sick and tired of trying to write these fights out. If you want more detail for it, then watch the show itself. Hulu is a good place. It's just taking such a toll on my writing and sanity to try to do this when there's not much to do besides pretty much copy down what happened. Just assume it was the exact same as the show. Thanks if you read all that! Sorry for ranting):

BTW:

Italics are thinking.

Bold is shouting.

Bold italics are memories.

"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"

I only pause for a moment before grabbing Tazuna and pushing him to the ground. I follow quickly after him. Just in time, apparently, because a massive sword slices through the air and embeds itself in a tree. Seconds later, a man lands on it. His body faces away from us, but his head is turned to us, or more specifically, Kakashi-sensei. He appeared to be a missing nin.

He is muscled and very intimidating. His skin is sort of pale, an odd grayish tint (AN: Zabuza's skin is very strange looking to me. Does anyone else get that impression, or no?), and bandages cover the lower part of his face and his neck. His hair is dark brown and his eyes full of killing intent. He obviously out skilled us genin. The blade was massive, several feet long, and wide. There was a small, curved indentation towards the hilt. Perfect, I realized, for cutting off heads.

"Well, well, well. Zabuza Momochi, Rogue Ninja of the Hidden Mist," Kakashi-sensei says, stepping forward. Naruto charges forward as if to attack, but stops swiftly when Kakashi-sensei holds his hand out to stop him. "Way out of your league, guys. The teamwork in this is you three protecting Tazuna. Battle form Mito." Kakashi-sensei's hand rises to the hitae-ate covering his left eye. We all edge forward a bit, anxious to see.

"I'm sorry but I'll need you to hand over the old man," Zabuza drawls. "Kakashi, the Sharingan user."

Us genin seem to go into shock. The sharingan? Naruto didn't know what it was, but Sasuke and I both did. Sasuke explained its meaning to Naruto, who was stunned once he learned the meaning.

"Well said, but that is not all. What is even more is this sharingan enables the user to analyze and copy the techniques of others," Zabuza says, "When I was an ANBU Black Ops member, there was information of you in a bingo book I carried. There was...something else in there. The man who has copied over a thousand skills...Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

The air begins to thicken with mist in the middle of Zabuza's speech. Kakashi-sensei remains silent, his posture thick with tension. Zaubuza is facing us now. He's crouched slightly, his muscles bulging and twitching. They reveal which direction he's going to move. "Let's end the talking now. I need to kill that old man now," Zabuza tells us. "But, Kakashi, it seems I'll have to kill you first."

Naruto, Sasuke and I spring into action. We get in the proper battle form, as we were told. We were all full of adrenaline, primed for action. An ominous chuckle echoes through out the mist filled clearing. Zabuza walks on the water of the nearby river and makes a strange handsign. He disappears in a funnel of water.

"He'll probably try to eliminate me first," Kakashi-sensei mumbles.

"What is he?" I question.

"Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi-sensei moves to stand a few feet in front of us, "He's an ANBU Black Ops member in the Hidden Mist and he's known as the 'silent killing technique' expert...so pay attention."

Great advice, Kakashi-sensei. Just great.

-There has been a time skip!-

That fight wasn't quite what I had been expecting.

Zabuza eventually caught Kakashi-sensei in a water cage, disabling any action from him. I was tasked with guarding Tazuna as Sasuke and Naruto distracted Zabuza enough for him to loose focus and release the water cage, freeing Kakashi-sensei. They began fighting again, flooding the area with immense amounts of water. Sasuke and Naruto helped me protect Tazuna, though they mostly did nothing. They were riveted, watching the intense battle take place. After a while Kakashi-sensei managed to pin Zabuza to a tree with kunai. They exchanged a few words, and Kakashi-sensei was about to kill Zabuza before two senbon flew through the trees and pierced him in the neck, presumably killing him, and his body fell to the ground. We looked for the source. A male, a ninja from the Hidden Mist wearing a mask, stood on the branch of a nearby tree. While his hair was long and he wore what appeared to be female's clothing, I could tell from the way he held himself that it was a man.

The tracker (as I learned) nin and Kakashi-sensei exchanged a few words. Naruto expressed his disbelief that the tracker was close to his age and that powerful. Kakashi-sensei told Naruto there were people younger than him, but more powerful than Kakashi-sensei. Then the tracker nin took Zabuza's body and disappeared. Tazuna offered to let us stay at his house. We turned to continue our journey. Kakashi-sensei, his normally solid frame shaking slightly, took a wavering step before falling.

I surprised myself. Before anyone even blinked, I had dashed forward and caught his body before it even hit the ground. I didn't even think before doing it. None of us were sure what happened to him, but it wasn't the top priority to find out. I carried his limp (but still very heavy) body all the way to Tazuna's home.

A while later, Kakashi-sensei finally awoke. We came to visit, but I didn't stay as long as I had liked. I was to rest, because I had put strain on myself carrying him without aid. When I was there, however, I did learn some valuable information on tracker ninjas. There was a chance Zabuza was still alive, too.

We weren't allowed to slack off during training either, though it wasn't hard. It all came down to chakra control. When Sasuke and Naruto still hadn't completed the lesson, Kakashi-sensei took me to the side in order to see how I had progressed in the task he gave me. Focusing with all of my might, I managed to gather a bit of chakra in an indistinct shape in the palm my hand that crackled with a little electricity.

Kakashi-sensei seemed a bit surprised. "Well, Kimi-chan, let's get on to the next step of training. Try to shape the chakra. Any shape will do- perhaps a circle or a square. Maybe even try to mold it around your hand, if you're up to the challenge."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," I murmur, and begin concentrating. It takes a lot of effort and several minutes to do it, but I finally manage to make it into a circle. I loose focus, though, and the chakra dissipates. I sigh in frustration- my head was pounding and I was frustrated from the lack of results.

"Very good job, Kimi-chan. You did better than I expected-not only did you accomplish great chakra control, but you did it without use of any hand signs. If you work on it more, then you should be able to master higher level jutsu easily. Now, go back to Tazuna-san's house and rest some, maybe eat a little bit. You need to have plenty of energy," Kakashi-sensei says, reaching out and ruffling my hair with his hand.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. Hai," I mumble, before disappearing and going back to Tazuna's to get some rest, as he suggested. I manage to eat a bit of the lunch Tazuna's daughter had prepared before heading to the room I shared with Naruto and Sasuke and collapsing on my sleeping bag in pure exhaustion.

"Oh, Kimi-chan...behind you!" Masao-nii-san's voice taunts me. I whirl around to face him. I was only seven, but Masao was ruthless. Whenever I brought this up to him, he simply shrugged at me and told me, 'Those enemy nin aren't going go easy on you, Kimi-chan, so don't expect me to'. However, that didn't matter right now. What mattered was proving to Masao-nii-san was that I was worth becoming a ninja, and that I would become a powerful kunoichi. He was no where in sight. I growl in frustration- I needed to pay attention!

"Focus, Kimi-chan, focus!" Masao-nii-san hisses.

I swallow hard and take a deep breath, closing my eyes. Masao-nii-san has approached me quickly-that much is evident from the shift in the air. Before he can get any closer, I throw my shuriken in his direction without opening my eyes. There's a hiss of pain-I open my eyes to find my kunai had grazed Masao-nii-san's arm, bringing a thin line of blood. I look at him, a smile in my eyes. He grins at me and says, "Good job, Kimi-chan, I'm proud."

TADA! The end! Jeez, this is probably one of the longest chapters I've written for this story. Ah, well, it was way over due. I'll have the next chapter out as soon as possible. Just please comment and vote!


	9. Chapter 9 Goodnight Aniki

Hey, Hi, Hello. There is some character development in this chapter, that of two people. So far, as I'm writing this author's note, I've realized something: this chapter is already at least 2,000 words long! So, yeah, I think you will enjoy it. It includes the very, very end of the big Zabuza/Haku part, some training and two decent sized memories. It's setting up for the chunin exams. So you'll definitely enjoy it. Comment and vote, please. By the way, I wasn't even planning on putting anything about the second fight with Zabuza until someone mentioned to me that it'll be dry if I don't put it and told me that I haven't developed Kimi enough. So that's the reason it's even in here, despite the fact it's briefly. Sorry if that part is lacking): There's some song lyrics too, added in with part of the story.

**WARNING: Some OOC-ness and a surprise yaoi (boyxboy, two males together) pairing that I have recently fallen in love with, but the pairing is really only hinted at.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO. If I did, it would be yaoi fangirl paradise and Akatsuki-centric.**

****__Italics are thinking.__

****Bold is shouting.****

**_**Bold italics are memories.**_**

__'These are song lyrics.'__

****And so the chapter begins~~~

As Zabuza's body begins to fall to the ground, I feel the pinpricks of tears at the corners of my eyes. It didn't matter to me that Zabuza and Haku were trying to kill not only Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna, but Sasuke, Naruto and myself. What mattered was the love, albeit twisted, between them was destroyed with a thought. __I can't let that be forgotten.__

I catch Zabuza's body before it hits the ground. I pull his heavy body to the side of Haku and put him stomach down. I sit next to their heads and watch their faces. Kakashi-sensei is by my side in a matter of minutes, after having cleared the other men away.

"Kimi..." He trails off.

"They...they loved each other. Even if they didn't admit it, they did. I could tell. Losing something like that...It's not good," I mumble, voice thick with tears.

"Well...I wouldn't normally suggest it, but...perhaps you could do something?"

I look at him, confusion in my eyes.__What did he mean?__Then, suddenly, something clicks in my brain. It would be very crude, but I remember Masao telling me something about how we could sometimes extract memories from the freshly dead. So that is what I planned on doing. I had absolutely no idea on how to properly do it, and I could end up hurting myself, but I wasn't really thinking clearly. It didn't matter if I hurt myself.

With those thoughts in mind, I place my hands on their heads. Focusing chakra into my palms, I close my eyes and just sort of picture myself taking a memory and concentrate on doing just that. The imagery and concentration work, apparently. The best way I can describe accessing their memory is like this-there are layers. The first is their outer selves, the outermost part of their physical beings. The next is the internal pieces, where if I focus my chakra the right way I could map out their veins, organs, each individual cell. The third layer is their mind. This layer is divided into many different parts, each for a different part of their mind. The memory is one of those. The last part is their rawest pieces-the emotion.

The way to move between the layers was the weirdest part for me. It was like slipping between them. Part of Zabuza's gave some resistance, but after a little effort and even more concentration, I was able to reach his memory.

I sifted through the overwhelming memories, trying to make out what was what. Each one gave off an emotion, and I focused on finding the strongest ones. After some searching, I find a memory both of them had, just told from different points of view. I decide these were the ones-they were bittersweet, yes, but both were very strong and held some obvious significance. Like an out of body experience, I get pulled into the memory.

___**_**The streets of Kirigakure are filled with snow. A small, ratty looking boy with long, matted black hair is leaning against the railing of a bridge. His face, like the rest of his body, is covered in dirt and grime. His brown eyes look dead of emotion. His clothes are baggy and they reveal a thin, hungry frame.**_**_

**__**A tall ninja with odd skin stops, observing him with careful eyes. He's tall, and clearly a ninja. His hitae-ate is around his head, the metal plate facing to the side. He is wearing the standard ninja uniform. His mouth and part of his neck is concealed by gauze wrappings. His brown eyes narrow in on the hungry boy.**__**

******__**The boy looks up, unconcealed fear in his eyes. The man steps forward, closer and closer until fear really sets in for the boy. He was only a street urchin-the tall, imposing man wouldn't get in any trouble for eliminating him, if any one even noticed. The two males both knew this. The boy remains in his position, completely still-he was too scared to move.**__**

******__**"What is your name, child?" The man asks, kneeling next to the small form.**__**

******__**"H-haku, sir," The boy stuttered.**__**

******__**"Haku, hm? I am Zabuza," The man tells him. His voice was cold and manipulative, but Haku took an immediate likening to it.**__**

******__**"H-hai, Zabuza-sama," The child mumbles, eyes cast downward.**__**

******__**"Haku, take this," Zabuza says. Haku's eyes flicker up cautiously and then zero in on the box in his hand. Ever so slowly, Haku's small hand reaches out to take the box. Once he gets his fingers closed around it, the man withdraws his hand. Haku looks down at it, curious as to what it's contents were. He looks back up at Zabuza, silently asking for permission to open it. Zabuza nods, and Haku pulls the lid off of the box.**__**

******__**Inside is food, more than Haku had seen in one place for so long. He is truly amazed-so much food, and it was for him? A street rat? He looks back to Zabuza, a question in his eyes-but the man was no where to be seen.**__**

**__** I pull away from their minds. It hurt too much in my chest to see any more. I remove my hands almost absentmindedly from them. I had used quite a bit of chakra from doing that, nearly all I had-it took effort just to sit up.

"Kimi-chan, what happened?" Kakashi-sensei's voice is close to me, and on automatic my head swivels to look at him. I can feel that my eyes are wide with surprise- it was strange moving from their memories back to the present world.

"I-I saw their memories..." I mumble. I feel Naruto move to my side.

"Kimi-chan, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Naruto asks, reaching out a hand to steady me.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine-" I begin, but am cut off. I feel the world fading at the edges.

"Kimi-chan, are you-"

The world turns black.

-THERE HAS BEEN A TIME SKIP!-

"The Kakashi-led Squad Seven...Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto Uzumaki. Kimiko Kioku. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend these three for the Chunin Exam."

"The Kurenai-led Squad Eight...Kiba Inuzuka. Hinata Hyuuga. Shino Aburame. Sakura Haruno. I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend these four for the Chunin Exam."

"The Asuma-led Squad Nine...Shikamaru Nara. Ino Yamanaka. Chouji Akimichi. I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend these three for the Chunin Exam."

-OMG ANOTHER TIME SKIP!-

"The Chunin Exams are in a week?" I ask, eyebrow raised.

"Uh huh," Kakashi-sensei says, nodding. "And we're doing some training today...after I run an errand."

"Well, can't we start training when we're waiting for you to get back, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto questions, jumping up from where he was leaning against the railing of the bridge. We had taken to meeting on this bridge every time we got together.

"You sure can. But for now, I have to go. So be training! I'll be back in about thirty minutes!" Kakashi-sensei says, making a few hand signs and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Well, boys, let's get going," I say, standing up straight and turning on my heel, heading to the training ground we normally went to. I don't turn around to look- I knew they were following.

Two hours later find me sitting cross-legged on the edges of the training ground. The grass tickles my leg, making me sigh slightly in frustration. In my hand a ball of crackling chakra swirled. I use the term 'ball' loosely- it was a rather indistinct shape. I increase it in size with severe concentration, ignoring the impending headache. I manage to make it nearly the size of a softball and then begin smoothing the edges, forming it into a smooth sphere. This took a great amount of chakra control, concentration and actual chakra to create, and took another thirty minutes.

"Very good, Kimi-chan," Kakashi-sensei comments, stepping forward from where he had been standing in the shadow of a tree. He moves to sit on the ground next to me, crossing his legs.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," I murmur. My concentration begins faltering-the chakra ball begins flaring, loosing its shape. I shake my hand, dispelling the chakra. I pull my legs up to my chest and curl into them-I was exhausted. I had been having nightmares lately. It seemed every time I fell asleep images of the bodies of my clan danced across my eyes.

"So...the Hokage has sent out ANBU and tracking nins to find your brother. They're bringing in some higher ups of the clans yours was associated with to question them, see if they have any information or know anything. The thing is, though, they need a picture of your brother, Kazuo. We need you to give us one," He tells me, looking at me as if he didn't know how I was going to react.

I bite my lip before nodding. "I'll go to my clan grounds to get one. I'll have it to you by the time we start the exams."

"Ah, that will work," he approves, and we lapse into silence for a few moments before he talks again. "Kimi-chan, you look exhausted. Please, go home and rest," Kakashi-sensei requests.

I shake my head, feeling obstinate. "No, I need help on my ninjutsu."

"Kimi-chan, you are running low on chakra. You wouldn't be able to do much more right now. Besides, you're already doing amazing. Just get some rest. We can train plenty tomorrow," He reasons.

"I...suppose we could do that," I respond, looking to my feet.

"Yes, we can. And we will. Now, you head on home. I'll tell the boys," He says. He stands and offers a hand to me. I take it and he pulls me up. I nod to him, silently giving him my thanks.

"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei," I mutter before leaving. He only offers me a smile and a quiet goodbye. When I get home, I don't do much besides switch into my pajamas and use the bathroom. When I drag myself and collapse onto the bed, barely managing to slip under the covers, I fall asleep quickly and am pulled into a memory.

**__**I was sick for the very first time, and I was positively terrified. I had awoken in the middle of the night from a feverish, nightmare-plagued sleep. I waddle through the darkness of my home to the bedroom of my older brother Kazuo's room, desperate for comfort. Kazuo was always so sympathetic and he knew just how to calm me down and make me feel better.**__**

******__**I slide open his bedroom door, trying not to make much sound. It was hard, because I was only six and had not been trained in stealth yet. I pad up to the side of his bed. His back was to me.**__**

******__**I reach out and touch his shoulder as gently as possible. "Aniki," I beg, "please wake up."**__**

******__**He rolls over, already awake and alert like the amazing ninja he was. "Imouto, what is it?"**__**

******__**"I-I don't feel good," I mumble, my chubby little fingers gripping his bedsheets tightly. He leans forward, propping himself up on one elbow. He reaches out to touch my forehead with the back of his hand. When he feels my forehead, he mutters a soft curse and rises from his bed. He picks me up around the waist and sits me on top of his bed. He pulls the blankets closely around me before pressing the back of his hand to my forehead again. From the moonlight pouring through his window, I can see a small frown upon his face.**__**

******__**"Stay here, imouto," he murmurs. He turns and disappears from sight, out of the room. I pull the blankets closer around me. Soon enough, my nii-san comes back carrying a glass of water, a small bottle and a spoon. I eye it warily, unsure of what to think. I had never taken any sort of medicine, having never needed it. I didn't know quite what to expect.**__**

******__**He sits down on the bed next to me, placing the glass on his night stand. "Imouto, you need to take some medicine," he whispers, unscrewing the cap. He readies the spoon and pours the thick, bitter smelling liquid onto the spoon, filling it up. "Open your mouth."**__**

******__**I comply, albeit hesitantly. The medicine is nasty, and I cough from the lingering bitterness. He takes the glass of water after putting the bottle on the night stand. He guides the cup to my lips and helps me drink it. I gulp it down and swallow hard. "Aniki, I don't wanna take any more," I plead, latching on to the soft fabric of his pajama pants.**__**

******__**He chuckles softly. "Don't worry. Just one more spoonful, and you'll be all done."**__**

******__**I pout but nod. "Just one more?"**__**

******__**"Just one more. And I'll let you stay in here with me," he smiles softly, pouring another spoonful. He had already put the half-empty glass back on to the night stand. That was the deciding factor. I'd take the medicine willingly now. I open my mouth once more and take the medicine. I frown a little bit, my nose wrinkling up. I don't complain, though. I was a big girl, and I could take it.**__**

******__**He guides the water to my lips once more, having put the now closed bottle and the spoon on the table. I drink all of the water. When I finish, he gathers the three items and tells me he'll be right back. A few moments later, he's stepping back through the door way. He lays down next to me, pulling the blankets over us. I snuggle into his broad, warm chest, curling into him. He wraps his arms around me.**__**

******__**"Goodnight, imouto. Sweet dreams;I love you," He whispers, placing a gentle kiss to my forehead.**__**

******__**"Goodnight, aniki," I reply, "I love you too."**__**

**__**Am I awesome, or am I awesome? Haa, this was a long chapter-don't get used to it:P I decided to cut the chunin exams out because I figured I should give that its very own chapter, for it shall be very action-packed and rather interesting. Plus, I think this chapter was long enough with out that stuff in it! Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review it!


	10. Chapter 10 Playing Dumb

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Here's chapter ten. Sorry if it sucks-some training plus part one of the chunin exams. The upcoming chapters will be the forest of death, followed by the prelim fighting and one month gap. After that, I'll finally finish up the chunin exams. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as well as review. The chapter was written while listening to the newest song from my favoritest band eveeerrr, Yellowcard~~ So happy(: hahaa, new album. I hope this chapter doesn't reflect my good mood, b/c it isn't supposed to be too happy.

****DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.****

****WARNINGS: Two cuss words... a little bit of mental torture for Kimi...and a cute (but bittersweet) moment.****

__Italics are thinking.__

****Bold is shouting or something with emphasis.****

**_**Memories look like this (but there are none in this chapter).**_**

****And so poor Kimi-chan's mind gets effed with...~~

-startchapter-

The next morning, I wake up as normal. My eyes fly open, I stare at ceiling and wish my family wasn't dead or that I at least didn't remember anything about finding them dead. Then I close my eyes and swallow, trying to get rid of the bitter taste in my mouth after being disappointed severely. Lastly, I roll out of bed and move on.

At training, I get little progress in any field. Kakashi-sensei, obviously noting my barely concealed frustration, waves me over with a flick of his wrist. Sighing silently, I calmly approach him.

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei?" I ask.

He looks out across the field to look at Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke was lazily fighting back against Naruto, but still winning. "You are distracted," he says slowly, like he's trying the words out. Unsure.

"Yes," I agree, not even bothering to deny it. It was quite clear I wasn't focusing on training.

"Why?" His eyes flicker back to mine.

"I have recently revisited a specific memory involving my family," I speak plainly.

"Ah," he comments, eyebrows raised. "I've made a command decision. I'll be teaching you a jutsu. But just the one."

I nod, understanding his decision. We were in a tight predicament involving my training- we had just under five days until the start of the chunin exams. It was very unlikely I'd be able to perfect a jutsu by then, but we had to at least try. A basic understanding of genjutsu and my taijutsu skills wouldn't do me much good. If I could at least do the ninjutsu half assed, I'd likely be able to scrape myself through at least through to the prelim fights.

"Okay. Be back at the training grounds at six o'clock-ish. Okay?" He asks, making sure I understand. I nod again. "Good. Now, go practice your aim."

I nod again. "Hai, Kakashi-sensei." I don't bother to mention my aim was near perfect and didn't honestly need any work. If it would keep me busy, who was I to complain?

"So, what did you call me here for, exactly?" I ask, not bothering to look up from the grass.

Kakashi-sensei sits next to me. "That jutsu I mentioned before. It's extremely complicated, very hard and requires a lot of chakra and control and is a jutsu most jonin have problems doing. In other words, it'll be near impossible for you to get it even in a couple of years, let alone five days. But I have faith in you, little Kimi-chan." He says all of this while doing one of those closed eye smiles that make me want to punch him in the face. His tone is so cheery-how could he spring this on me? Now?

"Perhaps you have too much faith in my limited abilities, Kakashi-sensei," I tell him, not even bothering to cover up my obvious surprise.

"Ne, Kimi-chan, you don't think you can?" He asks, leaning forward slightly as he says it, the smile still in place. My hand twitches slightly in his direction.

"I don't think I can," I confirm. I grip the grass in my fist, trying to relax it.

"Oh, trust me, you can. It's my jutsu after all-I know it inside out," He smiles again. I swallow down the annoyance. For my clan, it is a very big deal when one offers to teach you their very own jutsu-it was like they were placing their life, their success and trust and love, in you. It was seen as shameful if you turned the offer down. I still had half a mind to turn the offer down, but I really couldn't. Even though they were no longer here, I still felt great honor for my clan and I wouldn't just disregard the traditions.

"Ah...okay," I say, accepting my fate. Now I simply had to perfect this jutsu, because it was him offering.

__Just great.__

-I GOT BORED AND LAZY WRITING THIS...SO TIMESKIP.-

__(TY to 8AnimexLover8 for the following idea(: )

"I apologize for my tardiness," I say curtly, announcing my presence.

Naruto turns to look at me, as does Sasuke. Sasuke gives a full-power Uchiha glare, but I simply sweep it aside. Naruto says, "Ohayo, Kimi-chan! It's okay-you're just in time! Let's go!"

I nod. "Ohayo Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun. Let's go, then." Our brief conversation is ended and we head inside.

As we walk to the exam room, we spot a crowd of ninja- some from our village, some from others. Sasuke leads the way through the crowd. Naruto trails behind him, and I behind Naruto. Sasuke steps up to the two nin.

"Release the genjutsu," he commands.

The two chunin look at each other. "What are you talking about, kid? It's best if you all just move on. You won't make it to chunin, anyway. Might as well not even try.," one says. He has bandages wrapped around his face.

"Release the genjutsu and let us in," Sasuke repeats. At the sound of whispers of doubt- 'What is that kid talking about?' 'What genjutsu?'- Sasuke turns to look at me. "The genjutsu. Right, Kimiko? You can tell."

I raise an eyebrow. "I've got no idea what you're talking about, Sasuke-kun," I tell him, shaking my head.

He frowns, but turns back to the two guys. "Whatever. Just release it. Before I make you."

"Hm," the other one scoffs. His brown bangs hang over one of his eyes. "Cocky brat. Fine, we will." They make handsigns and then the walls are melting, revealing the genjutsu. Then all the ninja, after realizing what happened, shrug their shoulders and climb the next flight of stairs. Our team hangs behind, waiting for the crowd to pass. After it does, I'm about to climb up the stairs after them before Sasuke before he stops me, pushing me against the wall and pinning me.

"What the fuck was that, Kimiko?" He growls.

"Well, Sasuke-kun," I say, obviously taunting, "that was playing dumb."

He hisses, "Why did you do it?"

I shrug. "It's different for you because the Uchihas are well known around here. They know some things to expect from an Uchiha when it comes to fighting. But for me, they have no clue who I am and their extension of their knowledge about me, my clan or how we fight is little to none. I'd like to keep it that way-it helps give me the upper hand. They don't know what to expect, so they won't have a very good defence."

He glares at me again, and makes no motion to move away from me.

"I'd like it if you would let go now," I tell him.

He snarls but lets go. He stalks up the stairs without a glance back.

-TIMESKIP AGAIN (CAUSE I'M LAZY:P)-

"Now that I've given you that advice, kids, I'd like to speak to you alone, Kimi-chan. It's rather urgent," Kakashi-sensei says, voice carefully empty of emotion.

My eyes narrow in suspicion. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei," I reply, and he leads me out of earshot. Sasuke looks impatient, and Naruto curious and a bit worried.

"Ah, now how to put this?" Kakashi-sensei wanders aloud, voice dropping considerably in volume. "Okay. Some information about your brother was revealed, and the Hokage wishes for me to tell you."

I frown, my posture stiffening immediately. "Yes?" I inquire, ever so cautious.

"He...There's evidence your brother might be present during the chunin exams."

My knees give out.

"Kimi-chan!" Kakashi-sensei exclaims, jumping forward to support me. I feel unsteady on my feet. I close my eyes and absorb this moment with him. He smelled like rain water and soap, no hint of dogs. It was a bit surprising, seeing as how he constantly summoned them. I knew immediately that his smell would forever remain in my mind. Like Kazuo's smell of jasmine and the woods, or Masao's cinnamon-y scent. "Kimi-chan, I know this is hard-believe me, I do- but you need to focus. You need to be there for your team. Go take that exam. Do good on it-pass. I know you can do it. You know you can do it."

I regain my strength, or at least a portion of it. I stand on my own, a comfortable but friendly distance from my sensei. "Yes," I confirm, "Thank you for informing me of this, Kakashi-sensei."

He gives me one of those closed eye smiles, but instead of being irritating this time it's more comforting. "No problem, Kimi-chan. Now go-the boys are waiting for you."

I nod. "See you later."

He grins. "Of course." With those words, he disappears in a puff of smoke.

I walk back to the boys. I know my mask isn't completely in place, but I offer a small smile to ease Naruto's worries. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'll tell you later," I say, answering his silent question. He nods, understanding it would be best if he just dropped the subject. Sasuke remains silent, but I can read the curiosity in his eyes.

We all turn to the almost ominous door marked '301'. I swallow hard before reaching out and pulling the door open.

–

The end. I hope you enjoyed it. There is excitement to come! I should hopefully be able to upload more often, cause school is almost out for me. Anyway, bye(: Comment and vote please!


	11. Chapter 11 Scars

This is chapter eleven. I'm trying to work out how the last parts of the chunin exams should work out. I'd really appreciate some opinions or suggestions anyone might have. So please help me. An example of something to say is if you'd like Kimi to fight against a certain person. I have that part mostly figured out, but I'm willing to take advice on it. Anyway, here's the chapter. Please review!

((Please oh please let this format correctly. Please. Please.))

****WARNING:Some cussing, blood, and a very bad memory.****

****DISCLAIMER: If I owned Naruto, things would be much different.****

****__Italics are thinking.__

****Bold is shouting or something important.****

**_**This is what memories look like.**_**

__'Song lyrics look like this.'__

PS. (You must be getting annoyed by now, from all the notes and stuff.) I heard quite a few songs that remind me of stuff that's happened or will be happening in this story. So I've decided I'm going to start putting quotes from them at the beginning and/or somewhere in the chapter.

And so the chapter starts with some lyrics~

-START.-

__'Someone help me  
>cause the memory<br>convinced itself to  
>tear me apart, and<br>it's gonna succeed  
>before long.'<em>_

__The Memory by Mayday Parade__

_There were a lot of people here._

That's the first thought I had as walking into the exam room. The second was, _ Most of these people won't even make it. _There were several rows of wooden tables with benches, each seat labelled with a number. Most of the seats were filled already, but there were still some empty. The wall opposite of the door was mostly window.

Naruto, Sasuke and I scan the room. Naruto makes a comment about how there were a lot of people in the room. I mumble a quiet response to him, confirming his observation. Then I walk down the rows of people to the front, where people were getting assigned their seats. Of our group, I'm the first to get my seat number. I look both of them in the eye-Naruto, nervous but determined, and Sasuke, almost delusionally calm.

"Good luck." The words are simple and seemingly meaningless, but they get my point across. They both looked a little bit shocked as I say it. They weren't really expecting me to say something like that, so they're surprised. Before they can really process it and come up with a response, though, I've already turned and left, looking at the seat labels to find my seat. I'm on the last row, situated in the center seat. I take my seat, ignoring those next to me. They look at me as if I'm strange, but I don't really care. They could look. I didn't care.

The man giving the exam, the proctor, introduced himself once everyone was settled. He told us the rules and potential consequences. After a speech, we're finally given permission to start. I pick up my pencil almost lazily, knowing I'd be able to easily answer the questions. One by one, I write an answer to each question. This was ridiculous, really-the questions were too easy. I was only worried about Naruto and Sasuke passing. I knew Sasuke was smart, but he was overly confident of his abilities sometimes.

After I answer the last question, I put the pencil down and flip the paper over. I hunch forward slightly in my seat, rubbing my temples. I could feel a very nasty headache coming on. I sigh soundlessly, trying to avoid thinking too much about what Kakashi-sensei told me earlier. I knew the information was likely very accurate and the Hokage had reason to believe it was true, because otherwise I wouldn't have been informed. I wasn't very sure if I wanted it to be true or not. If my brother was in Konoha, why didn't he contact me? I've been mentally torturing myself since the murder of my clan, wondering where Kazuo was and if he was okay. The least he could have done was give me some sort of sign just to let me know he was still breathing and functioning, not captured by whoever the hell decided they'd kill my family.

On the other hand, I felt I should be grateful. At least he was still alive, right? He was okay. He was in Konoha. And just maybe he had a reason to be gone for nearly three months. ((AN: If that time period is off, then please tell me!)) What if he was still in danger of being killed off, and he had been staying away from Konoha to protect me from getting murdered myself? That was an interesting thought, and one I refused to even entertain. I wasn't even going to let my thoughts venture into that subject, though I knew I should think about it. The thought my brother was safe was really one of the only things holding me together, mentally. I wasn't going to ruin it, especially right now, at such a pivotal time in my life.

As I think of my brother, a painfully familiar memory begins to nag at me, demanding to be re-lived. I have no choice in the matter, it seems, because I'm pulled into it anyway.

_____**_**The blade digs deeper into my skin, bringing forth blood. I bite my lip so hard the rust taste fills my mouth, and I swallow it, refusing to make noise. It's pulled closer to me, eliciting more scarlet liquid. I clench my fist, willing the pain to stop. As I knew would happen, it remains.**_**_

___**_**"Well?" Masao-nii-san's voice is breathless, echoing in my ear. His grip on my arm tightens even more. "What're you going to do? Just keep being pathetic, huh?" Masao-nii-san was going through another of his 'episodes', and as usual I was the one who he vented his anger to. It never really ended well for me, as I usually ended up physically harmed. Masao-nii-san always was so sorry after it happened, and told me he was 'sorry' and it'd 'never happen again', but it always did. I forgave him each time, though, no matter how much it hurt me to be treated as I was.**_**_

___**_**Masao and Kazuo were eight years older than me, and had been on many dangerous and bloody missions. I was only ten, making them eighteen. When I was eight, Masao had already become a jonin and was sent off on several life threatening missions. One time, when he left on an A rank mission, he didn't return for five months. When he **_**__**_**finally did come home,**_**____**_**something in him had changed. He was never the same again. He had always been ruthless before, but never to the level he was now. If the memories of that mission were triggered, it always set something off in him and he became sadistic and angry. That's likely why I always forgave him-it wasn't his fault. Not really.**_**_

___**_**He twists my arm again with one hand, and the kunai is still pressed against my throat. A small gasp slips through my lips. The blood from my lip dribbles down my chin and mixes with the blood from the wound on my neck, trailing down my chest and staining my shirt. He laughs at me. I bite back another yelp as he trails the blade down my neck and to my arm, hard enough to draw thin lines of blood. "Pathetic," he hisses in my ear. His hold loosens on my arm, and the blade moves away from my skin. I know this was a good opportunity to get away from him, but the fear coursing through my body kept me frozen in my position.**_**_

___**_**As soon as the blade is from my skin and Masao's hold slackens, a deadly voice says, "Masao. Let her go." I recognize it immediately. Kazuo, my aniki, my savior.**_**_

___**_**Masao sighs heavily. "No."**_**_

___**_**He's tackled from behind and I'm propelled forward. I spin around dizzily just in time to see Masao-nii-san's reaction. Kazuo-nii-san has him pinned against the trunk of a tree, mere feet away. Masao-nii-san looks furious at first and is struggling to break free, but Kazuo-nii-san's whispering something frantically in his ear, trying to calm him down. As the real Masao comes through, the sane one, it's easy to tell. He looks first at Kazuo, then towards me-and then guilt and shame come crashing down on his features. Tears well up in his eyes, and he looks so broken and guilty.**_**_

___**_**"Kimi-chan...imouto...oh, Kami, I'm so sorry," he gasps, body crumbling as he takes me in. I look really bad, I know- blood stained, hair messed up, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and pity. "Kimi-chan...please, forgive me!" He pleads.**_**_

___**_**I don't know what to say. Part of me wants to forgive him so much, but the other part doesn't. I'm torn between wanting to hate him and forgive him. This was the worst he'd done to me yet. I give in as I observe his obvious guilt, shame and self-hatred. He didn't even really need to ask.**_**_

**__** I'm startled from my memory as the sound of glass breaking processes. I look up, towards the front. A woman is standing there, with a thick sheeting of some sort behind her, pinned in place by kunai. Her hair is purple and she looks fierce, like a perfect kunoichi.

"Hello, kiddies," she says, smiling impishly. "I'm Anko Mitarashi, proctor of the second phase of the Chunin Exams."

-END.-

Haa, done! Be prepared for the next phase, kiddies! I totally don't even care if that's what she actually said, or if that's how the exams even worked. I know Kimi was completely out for the whole 'tenth question' thing, but I don't really care about that either:P Let's just assume that she's clear and did what she was supposed to! (I don't plan on changing it, b/c I don't have much time to do so). Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review and share opinions.


	12. Chapter 12 Angry Again

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twelve. I have yet to make the decision regarding the author's note, soo yeah~~ Sorry about keeping you all hanging in suspense (lol)! Anyway, the 'Forest of Death' chapter is here. There's not much for me to say this chapter, except for that it's pretty angsty and features the first appearance of an angry, sadistic Kimiko. The song is 'Angry Again' by Megadeth.

This is only part one of this. I was gonna try and get the whole 'chunin exams' thing out in three chapters but that is totally not gonna happen. At least five, I'm envisioning. Maybe more. Yeah, probably more. I'm dragging this entire story out. It's kinda slow paced in some aspects. And in regard to my other story, the oneshot-drabble thing, sorry about the wait): It's taken me longer to finish the OroSasu one longer than I originally anticipated.

****DISCLAIMER:****I do not own Naruto in any way, shape or form, nor will I ever. (Yes, I am bitter about that.)

****WARNING:****An angsty/angry/bitter/self deprecating Kimi, cuss words, blood, and irrationality. Plus, even more character development (don't we all love that?)

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis(:******  
><strong>_**_**This is what memories look like.**_**__**  
><strong>___These are thoughts.  
>'Song lyrics are shown like this.' <em>_

__'The more of you that I inspect___  
><em>__The more of me I see reflect___  
><em>__The more I try to read your lips___  
><em>__The more the mask you're wearing rips___  
><em>__But when I seek out your voice___  
><em>__My ears are overcome with noise___  
><em>__You show and tell of greatest deeds___  
><em>__Raving impossibilities___  
><em>__Engaged in crime I grasp my throat___  
><em>__Enraged my mind starts to smoke___  
><em>__Enforce a mental overload___  
><em>__Angry again, angry again, angry___  
><em>__And when the story takes a twist___  
><em>__If folds like a contortionist___  
><em>__Slight of hand and quick exchange___  
><em>__The old tricks have been rearranged.'__

__I'm so tired of everything. I'm angry with everything. I hate everything.__

My body is aching. My head is pounding. The memories are so painful I want to cry. I feel so isolated and alone. Where was my aniki, my nii-san? I needed him now. I needed him more than ever before. But he was no where to be found. I know Masao-nii-san told me to not to let myself get full of hate, but it was so hard not to. How could my brothers do this to me? They told me they loved me. They were liars-they left.

Whoever they were, the person (or people) who were responsible for killing my family was completely and utterly hated. I hated them- they took everything from me. They took my mother, father, brothers, my entire family- they took my sense of security.

_I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them._

The anger was burning in my gut. I hated them. I hated everyone. I hated Masao and the rest of my family for dying. I hated Kazuo for leaving me to deal with everything myself- the funeral arrangements, the stupid lot in the graveyard dedicated to my family, the struggling with not having enough money to pay for the things I needed, the pure mental torture of having absolutely no one to share my burden with. I hated Sasuke for making it seem like it was just so easy to do everything and like it wasn't such a big deal for his entire family to have been murdered like pigs. I hated Naruto for being so damn happy all the time, for being able to play off the horrible things people called him and did to him and for being able to cope. I hated Kakashi-sensei for expecting so much from me. How could he honestly expect me to master the jutsu, ****his**** justu? I hated everyone, especially myself. I was too weak, too small and too sickly to be of any use. The rest of my team was just stringing me along because they couldn't do much else with me. In fact, Kakashi-sensei probably only tried to teach me the jutsu because he felt bad for me and didn't want me to feel left out.

_ _I am useless. I am not____worth it.__

Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that I was being irrational. It wasn't Masao, or any of the rest of my family's fault, that they were killed. Kazuo probably was away for a reason, as far as I knew. Sasuke wasn't as cool as he thought he was- he simply had a mask. He was full of hate. He wasn't dealing with it. And Naruto- the happiness was simply his form of a mask. He was just a happy, ball-of-sunshine person. He was upset over his treatment and he wasn't fine with it like he put off. Kakashi-sensei cared about me, too. He thought I was strong enough. My team thought I was worth it, that I was valuable.

__I am alone. I am unwanted.__

And my self-deprecating attitude towards myself? Well. It was stupid, too- I knew I was worth something, too, and I knew that people cared. People like Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Hokage-sama, even Iruka-sensei went out of his way to be nice to me. But I couldn't stop the thoughts contradicting what I knew to be true from worming their way into my head, repeating themselves over and over and over.

__I hate them all for doing this to me-how could they? I hate them. I hate them. I hate them.__

I take a deep breath, pausing my inner thoughts. I needed to be paying attention. I needed to push away the hate, at least for a moment. There is a chain link fence surrounding the ominous looking forest. There are chains keeping the gates together, locks holding the chain tight. There are signs on the fence saying the area is restricted and no one is to enter. I hear Naruto ask where we were. The proctor, Anko, answers him.

"This is the site of the second test, the 44th Training Field...also known as the Forest of Death." She pauses slightly, a smirk lighting up her features.

"Forest of...Death?" Naruto echoes. He's about to say more, but that little Konohamaru-gaki and his friends show up, hiding beneath a highly suspicious and very stupid box meant to be a rock. Naruto runs from them for a moment before finally stopping and pointing at it, loudly asking what Konohamaru thought he was doing.

I almost face palm. How stupid. The little gakis were being annoying. They tell Naruto they want an interview with him, one about the chunin exams. Apparently, someone put them in charge of it.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Anko shouts, stepping forward. Finally.

"Konohamaru is asking about an interview for their class..." Naruto tells her.

"Ah, Hokage-sama did mention something about that. Okay. Right!" she shouts. "Time for a ten minute break! For those of you who will be interviewed, please be kind and courteous!"

__How stupid. I hate them.__

-TIMESKIP-

_ _The break was more than ten minutes. I hate her.__

Those are my thoughts as Anko finally calls the end to the 'ten minute' break and begins briefing us for the second test. "This place, the Forest of Death...the name is for a reason. You'll soon realize why."

Naruto rolls his eyes. "This place, the Forest of Death...the name is for a reason. You'll soon realize why," he mocks, putting his hands on his hips and shaking them. "Whatever. Is that threat supposed to scare me? Ha! I'm not scared!"

"Really?" Anko smiles, closing her eyes. "You have a lot of energy." Her body tenses almost imperceptibly and she throws a kunai, eyes still closed. It glides centimeters away from Naruto's face, grazing the skin and drawing blood. Then she's behind him, whispering in his ear, "It's kids like you that die at the very beginning, dabbled with that red blood, the way I like..."

I roll my eyes, ignoring the exchange as some creepy girl with a long tongue returns her kunai. __That proctor is good. I still hate her. And that Creepy Girl-she would definitely give us trouble. Something about her is off. I hate her, too___. _"Well," Anko says as she walks casually back to the front, "before we start I have to hand these papers out to you. They're consent forms. You gotta sign 'em before you take the next part."

"Why?" Naruto asks.

"From here on out, there'll be bodies. I have to get your consent to that...or it'll be my responsibility," she laughs. She goes on with the instructions after passing out the papers. The ultimate goal is to make it t the tower in the center with two scrolls, one heaven and the other earth, with all team members within five days.

My group goes into the scroll exchange booth and we receive a heaven scroll. I'm the one who takes it. At first Sasuke and Naruto oppose handing it to me, but after pointing out that most of the people out there were expecting very little from me, I get it and put it into my small pack. Masao had given the little bag to me long ago as eighth birthday present. He had performed a special justu on it, so it was bigger on the inside. I had a few medical supplies, kunai, shuriken, senbon, a pack of cards, a very special scroll Kazuo had given me, and now, the heaven scroll. The special scroll from Kazuo was a summoning scroll I was to use only in a very extreme situation when I had absolutely no other option. I had no idea what it did, but I kept it with me at all times.

I didn't want to think I could possibly need the scroll in the ominous forest.

All sorts of sounds echo throughout the forest. Animals moving, the wind blowing, people screaming- that sort of stuff.

"Ah, that was a good break!" Naruto exclaims, stepping back out of the bushes. I glance at Sasuke from the corner of my eye- this wasn't Naruto. The scratch on his cheek was missing, and his weapons pouch was on the wrong side.

"Hm," I mutter, stepping forward. Without hesitation, I charge my fist with a little bit of chakra and swing it forward, landing a blow on his face and knocking him back several feet. He hits a large tree several feet away and stays there. "Sasuke, finish taking care of it."

He nods. "Okay." Then he engages in a short battle with the fake Naruto, revealing it to be some guy with a face mask. _He must think I'm stupid. I hate him._

"Unlucky. Well, you got me...in that case, who's got the scroll?" He says, mouth was concealed by some sort of gas mask. "I suppose I'll just have to resort to force!"

I jump out of the way, simultaneously retrieving a kunai from my pouch. I begin to look for Naruto as Sasuke fights Gas Mask ((AN: That is what Kimi is calling him, mentally, until she finds out his name)). It doesn't take long. I use the kunai to cut through the ropes that tied him up. Then a small battle ensues. Gas Mask flees quickly.

"So I'll carry the scroll," Sasuke says, standing up quickly._ I hate him. He was presumptuos and cocky, way too over-confident._

I stand as well. "Not a chan-"

Something cuts Naruto's other cheek. "What the-" he begins. He's cut off as an enormous gust of wind blows through, a gust of wind that was definitely man made. It leaves a crater in the ground and destruction in its wake. We are separated.

I approach Sasuke quietly. Once I'm close to him, within five feet, he senses my presence and jumps from the bushes, kunai gripped in hand. "Password! Ninja Song, Ninja Chance!

I recite the password effortlessly. Sasuke's stance relaxes fractionally upon the realization that I am who I say I am. Soon enough Naruto stumbles through the bushes. "Guys!" He exclaims.

"Password! Ninja Song, Ninja Chance!" Sasuke and I exclaim simultaneously.

"Oh, um...ah! I remember!" 'Naruto' prattles off the password quickly, not missing a single word.

I draw a kunai from my pouch and Sasuke's posture stiffens again. "You're not Naruto," Sasuke says, edging closer to me. I take a single step towards the enemy, the Fake Naruto. _I hate the Fake Naruto. They must think I'm stupid, too stupid to know my own teammate. I hate them. _A small smirk flashes briefly over my features, a small smirk full of blood lust and killing intent.

"Hmm," the Fake Naruto murmurs, "you seem to be smarter than the average genin. It appears I have been discovered." The Fake Naruto makes a single hand sign and there's a large plume of smoke as they transform back into their proper form. The smoke clears to reveal the Creepy Girl from before, the one who handed Anko back her kunai. Well. I knew she would give us trouble.

"It appears you have," I hiss. Sasuke and I take fighting stances next to each other. It was time for a real battle, not like the pathetic little fight with the Gas Mask.

__Let the games begin.__

And so the chapter ends. I hope you enjoyed it. It was pretty long, ne? (Haa, I used japanese~~) Anyway, there is more to come. IDK when I'll post next, so yeahXD. Please review. Please, please, please?

PS- How was that for character development? I showed the angry, blood thirsty side of Kimi-chan's personality. Please tell me how I did, for I feel it was very lacking.


	13. Chapter 13 Foreboding

Hey, Hi, Hello.

FIRST THINGS FIRST- this chapter gave me****HELL.**** My brain feels like it's freaking crying. This chapter is just...asdfghjkl! I can't even think properly. And yes, this does not contain the main battle scene. This chapter was really just dragging on and it was very long without that, so I decided to save that for the next chapter.

This is chapter thirteen. A lot of thinking, some action, a memory. Anyway, please read and respond to the AN at the bottom. It's pretty crucial- it'll be hard for me to get chapters out if I have trouble writing, which I will if I don't get advice. Soo, yeah:P please read and respond to this chapter, too~~ I worked really, really hard on it): took freakin' ! And I'll let you know now- I'm not going to describe what happens to other people, including Naruto himself, whenever Kimi is not there to witness it. I don't have song lyrics for this chapter, just a song I listened to when writing it. It's 'mystline' by Nujabes. Sorry about the long AN):

****DISCLAIMER:****I don't own Naruto. So sorry~~

****WARNINGS:****Hmm~~ first angry-ish Kimi, then a determined and much calmer, kinder Kimi. A summarized memory, some cussing (blame it on Kimi).

****Something important or with emphasis shall be shown in bold!******  
><strong>**__**This is what a memory looks like.**__****_  
><em>**__A specific thought shall appear like this.__  
><em><em>'Song lyrics look like this.'<em>_****

And so it starts strangely~~

******__**Once, I did actually snap at Masao-nii-san.**__**

******__**It was just after he became 'nornal' again-when he was not threatening and/or physically harming me. It was not so long ago, either. In fact, it was two days before my life spiralled out of control. He had just released me from a choke hold, and I had just backed away from him, watching him carefully just in case he changed again. He was staring down at his feet in contemplation, hands hanging limply at his sides. He looked almost confused, like he was trying to figure out how he got up to this point. That was probably true- he always had a little bit of trouble remembering what he did when he was like this.**__**

******__**"What the fuck?" I remember saying, eyes full of fury. I was so sick and tired of his split-personality, so sick and tired and fed up with taking his abuse. I knew he didn't want to do it, that there was something not quite right in his head that made him, but I was still pissed as hell.**__**

******__**He looks up at me in shock. His eyes flicker downwards slightly, and I know he's looking at the hand print shaped bruises forming on my neck. His mouth opens and closes like a puppet. He tries to form words, but he fails. The only word from his mouth is, "...Kimi..."**__**

******__**I shake my head, denying the silent apology. "I-I...No! It's not okay!" I realize I've begun to back away from him. My hands are held up level with my shoulders, palms facing him. I know that he must be hurting right now, but I honestly didn't even care.**__**

******__**The look on his face is so heart broken that my chest aches and I almost forgive him. My features soften and my hands lower, so close to giving in. He takes a step forward, though, and I realize I was just about to forgive him, again. "Kimi, my dear imouto- I, I'm so sorry..." he trails off, stepping forward again. His chin wobbles and he's suddenly crying, looking so hurt and lost and upset with himself. "P-please, for-forgive me-e," he hiccups, tears trailing down his cheeks.**__**

******__**I bite my lip and close my eyes, silently fighting with myself. I couldn't give in, not again like always. He needed to realize that it wasn't okay for him to do this, purposefully or not. Then again, I would be hurting him if I didn't do at least something. I cradle my head in my hands. This was definitely not an easy decision.**__**

******__**But it was made. Dropping my hands, raising my head and opening my eyes, I find Masao-nii-san still standing there, crying uncontrollably. His head is hanging and his hands are knotted in his hair, yanking and pulling on the silky black locks in frustration. He's mumbling angry words to himself, cursing himself for being 'such a horrible brother'. I swallow hard, reconsidering my decision for a brief moment. I push the indecision away as best I could, though, and I step forward.**__**

******__**He stiffens in confusion as my thin arms wrap around him. He drops his hands from his head and looks at me, trying to say something. Keeping my expression impassive, I simply shake my head. He gets my meaning, my silent asking him not to say a word. He wraps his arms around me and leans into the hug, still crying quietly.**__**

******__**"Don't think that it's okay," I tell him, speaking softly. He only nods, understanding immediately.**__**

******__**"I won't. Promise," he whispers, hugging me harder. In that little moment, I was so confused and torn. Should I forgive him and go against what my brain was telling me not to do? Or should I hold this against him?**__**

Of course, as it just so happened, I never ended up actually making the decision because two days later he, like the rest of my family, was ripped away in one violent pull.

I suppose that it was sort of strange this was what was running through my mind as I stood before my latest adversary. I was in a tense, ready-to-fight stance next to Sasuke. The snake girl licked her lips with her abnormally long, snake-like tongue. "If you knew he would forget, why didn't you make it shorter?" she asks.

"Knew you were underground," Sasuke replies, smirking, "listening to our conversation. So I chose it on purpose."

"Really," she says, removing her hat, "you're not tired or letting your guard down. This'll be fun. More than I thought. But, you, girl. Who are you?"

I roll my eyes at her attempt to unnerve me. "None of your damn business."

She lifts an eyebrow. "Oh, you've got some lip."

Rolling my eyes again, I tell her, "Guess so."

She smirks. From her pocket, she pulls out an earth scroll. "You probably want our earth scroll...seeing as how you have a heaven." At this point, she holds the scroll in front of her mouth. Her long tongue flicks out and she swallows the scroll. Once she does, she licks her lips again and comments, "Well, let's begin...the battle for the scrolls."

Just one look into that woman's eyes made my entire body hurt. To see my own death, to **feel **it, was one of the worst things that had happened to me yet. It would forever be etched into my memory. None of the training Masao-nii-san subjected me to could have prepared me for seeing that. That, like everything else, would stay with me forever.

"Can't move already?" Her whisper sends shockwaves through me. I **couldn't **let her triumph over me, especially not so easily. _Move, Kimiko, move! Dammit, fucking move! _Panic begins to set in, followed quickly by desperation. _I don't want to die. I have to move. I have to do something. I'll even use that summoning scroll if I have to._

Every single fiber of my being echoes with phantom pain. Despite this, I manage to turn my head ever so slightly to see Sasuke's hand inching towards his kunai pouch, extracting a kunai and standing. I will myself to move and little by little, I manage to pull myself to my feet and get a shuriken.

She casts a dismissive glance to our weapons. "And what are you going to do with that?" She asks, drawing two kunai from her weapons pouch and stepping forward. "Don't even worry. I'll make it quick. Painless."

She smiles, and with a simple flick of her wrist, sends the kunai straight towards us.

"You're too confident of your abilities for your own good," I chide. At his glare, I roll my eyes and add, "But, I must admit you did save both of us. And for that...thank you. However, do not expect me to owe you for long!"

He glares and rolls his eyes again. I huff angrily. _Such an ass. _I look at the wound on his leg before huffing again and withdrawing medical supplies from my pack. I withdraw gauze, medical tape, an antibiotic and a pair of small metal scissors. I glance up at his face. He looks questioningly at the medical supplies, and my pouch. Like he's asking how I fit all of that in there.

"Bigger on the inside," I respond grimly. Then, ignoring his curious look, I continue, "I am about to patch this up. When we get out of this hell hole, I fully expect you to get this properly looked at. Until then, my skills shall have to suffice."

"Whatever," he replies, almost flippantly. I roll my eyes at this and with no further warning, promptly reach forward and yank the kunai from his leg. He hisses in pain, and his body tenses up. I smirk but remain silent. His pants were getting in the way, but I wasn't even going to suggest he remove them in order for me to better treat the wound. So I just rip the fabric a bit and I douse the wound in antibiotic cream. The antibiotic cream was thick and smelled faintly of mint. I let it settle for a moment before proceeding to wrap his entire leg with gauze, winding it around his thin leg several times before cutting the fabric with the scissors and taping it up.

I lean back and observe my handiwork. I put the tools back in my pouch after a brief glance. We didn't have much time here-we both knew that. We needed to leave. We needed to find Naruto, especially. Before we can make much movement, or even speak, the biggest snake I've ever seen is attacking.

We both jump back automatically. The snake completely ignores me, instead going after Sasuke. Sasuke quickly tosses several shuriken, killing the snake. The snake's giant body falls against a tree. I look up at Sasuke-panic was written across his face. Never before had I seen him in such a state. He looked so disoriented and afraid.

I look back to the snake to see a form emerging from within it, busting out from its skin. My stomach churns as I realize it was the snake girl. "Don't lower your guard...not even for a moment," she hisses, standing. In a fluid movement her body is elongating, winding itself around and around a tree in her efforts to get to Sasuke. She's stopped short as kunai and shuriken embed themselves in the tree before her, blocking her path.

"Sorry, Sasuke," Naruto chimes. My eyes flicker up to the sound of his voice. He was standing on the trunk of a tree several feet above, his arms crossed over his chest. I roll my eyes, but on the inside I felt relieved. I felt more at ease with two of my boys there. I felt like I had to look out for them, and I felt as if I was responsible for them even though I had only known them for a few short weeks. (AN: I imagine it's been about a month and a half to two months since Team Seven was formed. If you think different, or know different, please tell me in the reviews!)

But even Naruto's appearance wouldn't completely ease the tension in my chest and stomach. I felt almost afraid of what was to come- it was all so uncertain and mixed up. Worst of all, though, I couldn't help but feel I would be revisiting some of my worst memories of all in a very short period of time. Hell, maybe I would even resort to using the mysterious summoning scroll. All in all, I knew it would be a very long next few days.

And finally, the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Like I've mentioned, it would really make me happy if you guys reviewed(: Please do so. I worked very hard on this chapter!

Oh, and a word about the titles. Has anyone ever thought about how they are named? ***coughcoughcough*** they really are very significant ***coughcoughcough***

I need to get some opinions. Specifically, regarding the Chunin Exam phase three. You, know, the fighting round. I want some opinions on things such as:

-who would you like her to fight?  
>-should she become chunin?<br>-what about that special little scroll?

Honestly, some of this is already decided. But I still wanna know what people would like to see, so I have some sort of pre-formed opinions when it comes to determining reactions and all that stuff. It's nice to know what people will expect and want and whatnot.

Well. That is all. Please respond~~


	14. Chapter 14 Ideal

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter fourteen. I hope you enjoy it(: I wrote this chapter quickly, so hopefully it's good(: Kinda long-ish, I guess. Maybe just normal. The song is 'Never Give In' by Black Veil Brides, simply because I feel it describes Kimi's attitude in this chapter, the upcoming chapters, and in the story over all because for however much she might complain, she's not giving up. She's too strong willed and stubborn for that:P And this is a very, VERY important chapter. Crucial, in fact. It just might shock some people(: Please review!

****DISCLAIMER:****I do not own Naruto (though I wish I did!)  
><strong><strong>WARNINGS:<strong>**The normal. Cuss words, blood, etc. A determined Kimi. Definitely not as angry, but much more determined.

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
><strong>****__**This is what memories look like!**__****__  
><em>_**__Kimi-chan's thoughts look like this.  
>'Song lyrics appear like so.'<em>_

Que the song lyrics, and the start of the chapter~~

__'Never give in, never back down.  
>Never give in, never back down.<br>When your life feels lost,  
>fight against all odds.<br>Never give in, never back down.' __

I feel frozen as Naruto's crouched on a branch in front of the giant snake. My body twitches with my efforts to move, but I can't. I physically cannot move. The snake girl is standing on top of the snake's head, staring down at Naruto. Naruto is panting heavily. I feel so worried- my breath is caught in my throat. I mentally scream at myself to move, but to no avail.

"Cute little prey," she purrs. My heart plummets as the snake's tail flicks out, breaking the branch Naruto was on and flinging him down, several feet, onto a tree. There's a sickening crack as his body hits the tree.__Move! Move! Move! Save your team mate-move! Move!__Blood trickles from his lips and he falls forward and to the ground. "Well, finish him off," the snake girl says, and her summon complies.

I finally regain some semblance of control over my body, and I take a kunai from my pocket. Just as I'm about to throw it, I freeze again. Naruto twists his body and screams, "SHOVE IT!" before kicking the snake and forcing his body back from the immense force. He flies forward again, punching the snake over and over in pure fury.

__Something is wrong. His eyes- they're red. Blood red. There is more to him than I first believed. That much is obvious. __

The snake's tongue darts out, striking Naruto and causing him to fall back again. He hits a tree branch and remains motionless. The snake girl and the snake itself turn to Sasuke, who's frozen in fear. My eyes widen as I realize what's about to happen. __Move, dammit, move!__

I manage to move, to my sheer relief. In the blink of an eye, with incredible speed, I draw two kunai and dart forward, landing like a cat in front of Sasuke. Naruto moves, too, and he lands directly in front of me. He embeds his kunai into the snake's head. His feet are planted firmly on the tree. His head is hanging and his entire body is heaving from his heavy breathing. He was obviously tired.

And then he speaks. "Are you okay..." He looks up, blood red eyes blazing, "...scaredy cat?"

My eyes widen, as I was not even bothering to try and cover my reactions right now. His eyes hold some animalistic fury in them that shakes me to my very core. There was something big going on within him, and I needed to find out before it was too late and there was nothing I could do. The little wheels in my head begin turning-__what could this possibly be? What?__

"This stupid coward is definitely not the Sasuke I know!" Naruto hisses. He begins to say more, but then a sickeningly long tongue (belonging to the snake girl) winds its way around his body, binding him and preventing any movement. He is lifted up and brought in front of the snake girl. My eyes narrow instinctively as the snake girl makes a strange hand sign. One by one, her fingers begin to glow with what looks similar to purple fire. Suddenly, a very ominous and horrible feeling settles in my stomach. __Something very bad is about to happen- and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.__

The tip of her tongue travels down and lifts his shirt up, exposing something I cannot see from where I stand. I want to move to see what was happening, but I know it would be best if I simply stayed where I was. The girl draws her hand back, obviously about to do something very bad to him.

"Five Pronged Sealing!" She shouts, swinging her fist forward. Naruto's body jerks and he cries out in pain. His body trembles for a moment before falling limp. She reaches forward and takes the scroll from his pouch, and I regret ever letting Sasuke have it. Since Sasuke took it and almost gave it to her, Naruto took it from him. Now the creepy girl was taking it from Naruto. I would have tried to stop her, but I was afraid she would hurt Naruto more than she already had. So I did nothing.

She flings his body away, tossing him carelessly behind her. She was done with him, for now at least. I watch as he starts to fall, wondering if he'll spring back up like he did before. When it becomes clear he isn't, I decide to finally step in. I bunch my muscles up beneath myself, preparing to jump into action. I spring off, darting past the woman. I catch Naruto in my arms. I adjust him slightly, moving him until his body is draped over my shoulder, and then I push off from another tree, twisting my body as gracefully as I could with ninety pounds extra slung over my shoulder. I land a branch behind Sasuke.

I set him on the branch next to me before turning my attention back to Sasuke and the snake girl. It had taken about all of five seconds for me to get Naruto to safety. Well, that wasn't exactly true. We weren't safe in this forest. So he wasn't safe, just safer. I look to Sasuke, to see how he was reacting. He was still in the exact same position, eyes wide with fear.__I have to do something. I have to motivate him.__

I know exactly how to do that, too. "Uchiha! Naruto may get in the way, but at least he isn't a coward like you!" I snarl. It seems to do the trick- or, at least trigger something that does. I can't see his eyes or face, but I can just tell that his fear has left his face. His posture stiffens and he takes on a more confident pose.

The snake girl seems amused at this development. "Just what I expect from the Uchiha...his blood's begun to stir. I should take my time to confirm his power."

My brow furrows.__What in the hell is she talking about? Has his sharingan activated?__She leans forward, arms stretched out into a battle-ready position. The next few events happen in rapid succession. Sasuke darts forward, engaging in a brief battle, and then they're off, completely out of sight. I glance at Naruto's body. He still hadn't woken up, but that wasn't very surprising. I don't have much time, I know that, so I move quickly. I roll him flat on his back. I yank his jacket and shirt up to inspect his stomach. There's some sort of seal there, looking like a black tattoo. Five prongs, finger width, glow with residual chakra. I swallow hard, trying to recall all I knew of seals. My knowledge was limited, but I could tell that this was a very powerful seal and had been there for most of his life. I make the command decision to simply leave it be, aside from wrapping his stomach to try and reduce any further irritation of the seal. I finish wrapping it just in time, because then I feel a sudden shock wave of heat and chakra from somewhere near by.

My expert eyes scan the area before me. A little ways off, I see an immense amount of flames. I deduce that it was the snake girl and Sasuke. I look at Naruto's limp body again before deciding I could leave him alone for a moment, just to go make sure Sasuke was okay. I jump off the branch, sending a little bit of chakra to my feet in order to aid my speed. I land next to Sasuke as the fire wanes, revealing that he had torched the woman. I carefully examine her body. From what I could see, she wasn't dead.

"Sasuke," I warn, "she is not dead yet."

He doesn't give much of a reply, just grunts like he's in pain. I wouldn't be surprised if he was- he had expended a lot of chakra. Too much, in fact. I look back at the snake girl. She's stepped forward. I take the chance to examine her face. It was scarred, twisted, just plain disgusting. Part of it has melted away, like some sort of mask, to reveal pale skin and a golden eye beneath it. I realize, in that moment, exactly what sort of trouble I was in. _The sort where I'll have to fight just to make it through. _My stomach drops as she begins to form a hand sign.

__Not again! __Her neck extends and her head is speeding towards Sasuke again. Without a single thought, I withdraw a kunai from my pouch and throw it, simultaneously grabbing Sasuke and pulling him with me as I jump straight up. I land several branches away; I keep one arm around Sasuke's waist, prepared to move again. It seemed like I would be doing a lot of fighting from here on out, because both he and Naruto were out cold.

"Dammit!" The snake person hisses. I've realized now that they may not be female. I can see them from here; the kunai had pierced his arm and distracted him from whatever he had planned on doing. He curses again before setting his glowing eyes on me. "Little bitch," he cusses, "I'll get you. Just wait." On that note, he (or she, for that matter) melts away into the ground, obviously furious.

My heart thumps heavily in my chest. That threat resounded in my head. He'd keep that promise, I knew it. I felt true fear- not only was I in the Forest of Death with two unconscious team mates and little to no ninjutsu available to protect myself and said team mates, but I also had a creepy fucking snake man-girl-thing out to kill me. This situation was far from ideal, and I was desperate. I****couldn't**** just die here.

Maybe I really would end up using that special little scroll.

-UNKNOWN POV-

The tattoo that twined itself around my lower left arm glowed and prickled slightly. It had before, so I wasn't entirely surprised, but the strength and intensity with which it was glowing worried me. I knew that meant one thing, and one thing only- she would be summoning me soon enough.

FIN!

Did you enjoy this chapter? If so, please review~~ I got this out surprisingly quick. Sorry if it isn't well written or something:/ I got sudden inspiration to write. It was a little bit hard naming the chapter, though. I hope it fits!


	15. Chapter 15 Emergency

Hey, Hi, Hello.

I AM ON A ROLL, KIDDIES! (:

Here is chapter fifteen. Please enjoy it, because it might be the last one for a while. I've gotten this one, as well as chapter fourteen, out so quick because I had great inspiration for them but I wanna take a short break and work on my other stuff, so it's back to updates like normal (once a week). It's a perfect stop, too, because there's a lovely cliff-hanger(: hahaha, I feel evil! Anyway, let's get the show on the road. The song is 'Without You' by Breaking Benjamin, to help express how she feels about the absence and murder of her family. And I finally figured out how to do the page breaks. Yay me (took me long enough).

****DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own Naruto.

****WARNINGS:****The beginnings of a fight scene (finally. I've been wanting to write one forever) which means blood. A little bit of cussing, courtesy of Kimi-chan's sailor mouth.

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
><strong>****__**This is what memories look like.**__****_  
><em>**__These are Kimi's thoughts.  
>'Song lyrics appear like this.'<em>_

* * *

><p><em>'<em>__Follow me under and pull me apart.  
>I understand there's nothing left<br>Pain so familiar and close to the heart.  
>No more, no last. I will not forget.'<em>_

* * *

><p>"An all night vigil? Huh, that's dedication."<p>

I stiffen as they decide to speak. I had been aware of their presence for a while now, but I had been praying that they would leave for a while now.__No such luck, it seems.__I draw a kunai from my pouch and turn to face them, putting on an impassive face despite the intense pain and exhaustion running through my body.

"Wake Sasuke up, we want to fight him," the leader says. There's three of them- two boys and a girl. One of the boys is sitting on top of a rock, casual as ever. Or at least he was trying to be- I could see the way his muscles were tensed, ready for action. He was wearing some strange sort of snake-skin patterned scarf and pants, with a yellow shirt. The leader of the group was in the center, wearing the same kind of pants and scarf. He had a grey poncho on, and some sort of raincoat on his back. A strange metal contraption was on his right arm. His back was hunched, making him look smaller than he probably was. His face was almost completely covered by bandages. The girl was to his left, my right. She had long black hair, a green vest, and pants and a scarf like the others.

From all my quick observation, I could easily tell this would be my hardest fight to date. __The boys really need to wake up. I'm afraid I won't be able to do this by myself.__"Do you really think I'll do that? I know that Orochimaru creep is really the one in charge."

"Huh? I wonder what he's got planned..." the leader says. Then the other male pitches in.

"After hearing that, I can't stay quiet. I'll kill this girl, and then I'll kill that Sasuke boy." He stands from where he had been sitting on the rock.

"Wait, Zaku," the leader says.

"Huh? What is it?" Zaku asks, turning to look at the leader.

The leader hobbles forward, legs bent, a few steps before stopping and putting one hand on the ground, presumably to help support himself. "It's just so...hmm. Well, I want to kill her myself. Zaku, you can get Sasuke. Just stay out of our fight, both of you."

"Hai, Dosu," Zaku and the girl say, stepping back at the same time. I bite the inside of my cheek. It would be easier to fight them one at a time, but I was still exhausted after being awake for so long. Plus, I hadn't eaten since the morning of my exam. I could barely stand, I had a headache, and my body was not wanting to cooperate. This would be far from easy. I force my body to stand. It feels like my limbs were replaced by cement bricks. Dosu looks towards me, and I look him in the eye. He seems amused.

He jumps towards me. I duck under his jump, swinging myself around and sending a kick into his back. He coughs but seems otherwise unaffected. We set off in a flurry of moves, metal clashing. For every punch or kick he throws, I barely manage to dodge. I realize quickly that the key to defeating him would be to destroy the metal thing on his arm. _But how?_

Another kick. A swipe with a kunai. I throw myself back, twisting my body to dodge the blow. He manages to scrape my arm, bringing forth a thin line of blood, while with a well placed kick I clip the side of his stomach. He grunts slightly from the pain but he doesn't stop. My reactions were getting sloppier and slower- we both knew that I was running out of strength and energy. I punch him in the side of his head with a chakra infused fist as he digs the blade into my stomach, breaking through the skin and causing me to bite my lip. I hold in a cry of pain. We both separate at the same time, using momentum to land several feet away from the other. We call some sort of silent 'time out' as he quietly talks with his team.

My head spins and rings. My body is jarred as I fall to my knees, hitting the ground with a painful thud. I could feel warm blood seeping through my clothes, trailing down my back. I was bleeding from somewhere on my upper back, and badly. I couldn't even distinguish exactly where it was coming from because my entire body was stinging with agony. The wound on my stomach was bleeding profusely. If something didn't happen, and soon, I would end up dead. My chest heaves as I consider the possibilities. __Keep fighting without a plan and die of blood loss or something equally horrible and potentially much more painful. Scream for help like a little bitch and hope someone is merciful enough to actually help. Or...use the scroll. __Realistically, there's only one option that could get me, and the rest of my team, out of this stupid forest alive.

Yup. The scroll.

* * *

><p><span>-UNKNOWN POV-<span>

The summoning tattoo glowed even brighter with chakra. The design was very intricate and elaborate, and it was extremely painful when I initially received it. The thick band twisted around my left forearm six times before ending, turning downwards just above my wrist. It wasn't an ordinary tattoo- it was chakra infused, burned into my skin like a red-hot brand. It was supposed to glow whenever the potential of my being summoned appeared, so I would be completely prepared when it happened. The summoning tattoo was the strongest of its kind.

When the infused chakra began glowing, spinning around and around in the shape of the tattoo, I realized it was finally show time. I simply packed my equipment and mentally prepared myself. I had no idea what I was going to be thrust into, so I was naturally nervous. She could be bleeding to death or close to it. She could be fighting against foes that were stronger than myself. I could fail epically in my assigned task to protect her with my life. I just hoped I would be able to keep her alive until she was safe.

* * *

><p><span>-KIMI'S POV-<span>

Knowing I had little time to do this certainly did not help with my feelings of foreboding and impending doom.

Dosu's leg twitched, telling me he was going to move to his right, and within the next ten seconds. My right hand goes to my pack to remove the thick summoning scroll, and my left goes to my mouth. I bite down on my thumb, hard enough to draw a sufficient amount of blood. I take the thick scroll from my pouch and with a flick of my wrist, I completely unroll it. I press my bitten and bloody thumb against the thick yellowed paper, ignoring the prickling pain and sliding my thumb across the entire length of the scroll, painting the hand written kanji with crimson.

A deafening **boom** sounds as soon as I'm done, and the entire clearing is engulfed in thick black smoke. I begin to cough heavily, clutching at my chest in a poor effort to breathe. The scroll lays, forgotten, at my knees. I have enough sense left in me to draw a shuriken and crouch back, protecting my team mates as much as I could manage (not much). __Aaaand what the fuck did I just do?__I ask myself. I try to peer into the smoke to see something, anything, but it's all around me, inescapable.

I wheeze. I ****couldn't****breathe, I couldn't see, and the only thing I could still hear was the ringing noises echoing through my brain, making it impossible to think straight. __I thought that stupid fucking scroll was supposed to help me, or at least summon something to help me, not make it worse!__

The ringing begins to subside. I hear the others coughing, asking each other what the fuck just happened and what I did to make it so. My hold on the kunai slackens when I realize they weren't moving anywhere and they were just as confused as I was. I gaze into the smoke before me, squinting my eyes slightly. I make out two dark, blurry shapes. There were two someones, crouched down on the ground in tense, ready-to-fight positions. The figures were definitely masculine, judging from what I could see of them.

As the smoke begins to clear, the figures stand. They're both at least six feet tall, lean and muscled and very threatening. There is some sort of weapon strapped to one of their backs, both of which are facing me. Though the smoke is still dense and it's hard to see, I can discern two primary colors- blonde and black.

__I don't know what to think anymore.__

* * *

><p><span>-End Chapter-<span>

TA-DA!~~

What do you think? Please let me know(: I'd appreciate it.  
>IDK when the next chapter shall be, sorry about that. It just depends on when I decide to write it. I actually finished writing this chapter on the 21st, but I didn't want to post it until know. Either way, please enjoy it! And review. Thank you, dear kiddies(:<p> 


	16. Chapter 16 Birthday Girl, Surprise

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter sixteen(: This chapter is pretty awesome, I think. Please enjoy it! The author's note is pretty short (eh, kind of. not really), this time around. I couldn't pick between the two titles, so they're both in there. The song for this chapter is 'Stranger Inside' by Shinedown. I chose it because I felt like it describe how Kimi often feels. This chapter is also the longest to date, over four thousand words. Oh, and for those who don't know, 'tou-san' is an informal word one uses when speaking to their own father.

****DISCLAIMER:****I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.  
><strong><strong>WARNING:<strong>**Drama. Blood. Lightning. Cussing, too. Please enjoy!

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
><strong>****__**This is what memories look like. It can be actual memories or when Kimi recalls someone or even the summary of a certain memory/memories.**__**__  
><em>___Kimi's thoughts look like this.  
>'Song lyrics look like so.'<em>___

Start chapter~

-

__'This day could be the worst one yet.  
>I just won't relax, I can't catch my breath.<br>'Cause I'm sick and tired of 'You'll be fine'  
>Well how do you know? Can you read minds?' <em>_

**-**

____**I **___**_**had three older brothers.**_**_

**__**Two of them were Kazuo and Masao, but there was one who was even older than them. His name was Daichi.**__****__****__**He was sent to Sunagakure when I was only five. I never saw him much because he became ANBU when I was two and was never there. What I do remember about him was that he was similar to Kazuo when it came to my treatment; he was always nice. My favorite memory of him was just before he moved away. He had turned eighteen only a month before, and it was the two weeks before my fifth birthday.**__**

******__**"Well, my little imouto, what do you want for your birthday? I mean, you are turning five," He asks. He was crouched before me, holding both of my chubby hands in his.**__**

******__**"Um," I wonder, tilting my head to the side, wondering what I wanted. "I want a hug!"**__**

******__**He chuckles. "A hug? From who?"**__**

******__**"From you, Aniki! And Masao-nii-san and Kazuo-nii-san!" I giggle. **__**

******__**"Well I'll make sure you get your birthday hugs, imouto," he tells me, a smile on his. "But may I have a hug now?"**__**

******__**"Of course, aniki!" I laugh, leaning in to hug him. I loop my arms around his neck and squeeze lightly, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "I love you."**__**

******__**He hugs me back. "I love you too, Kimi-chan," he replies, pulling away to look at me. I observe him, a grin on my face. His black hair was silky and shiny, the same color as Tou-san's. It was long, flowing past his shoulders and tied back at the bottom**__**__(AN: Like Neji's or Kin's hair)_**.**_**__** His bright blue eyes were filled with love and something I couldn't quite place. Looking back, I recognize it to be guilt. He pulls me in for a hug again. He holds me close to him, and I feel happy.**__**

******__**Two weeks later, I woke up unusually joyful. It was my fifth birthday today, and I was very much looking forward to it. I bounce out of bed and to the bathroom across the hall. I brush my teeth by myself, only spilling a little bit of water. After rinsing my mouth out and cleaning my toothbrush and the counter, I walk downstairs. It was almost 8:30 in the morning. I was ready to start my special day with my family.**__**

******__**I reach the top of the staircase and stop immediately. There were two suitcases and a box sitting at the foot of the staircase. And, if I placed them correctly, they were Dai-nii-san's things. A frown takes place on my face at seeing this. Was he...leaving? I hear arguing noises from the kitchen. I walk slowly down the stairs, listening to the words. Whoever was arguing wasn't paying any attention, because they didn't notice my presence.**__**

******__**"Tou-san, I have no choice! It's the Hokage's order that I leave today!"**__**

******__**"I don't care! It's your sister's birthday-couldn't you just stay until after the party?"**__**

******__**"No. I can't. I want to. Believe me, I really want to. But it's the Hokage's orders, I can't just-"**__**

******__**"Aniki?"**__**

******__**Both of them, my father and my oldest brother, turned to look at me. They had looks of surprise and regret on their faces- they hadn't realized I was there. Dai-nii-san's mouth opens and closes as he tries to figure out what to say. My tou-san takes a step towards me, arms outstretched like he was going to hug me. My tou-san was like Dai-nii-san. He was tall and strong with short black hair and blue eyes. He was very kind to me. I loved tou-san a lot. He stops moving when I speak.**__**

******__**"A-aniki? Why a-are you leaving m-me?" I whimper, trying to hold back tears. I am unsuccessful; tears pour down my cheeks in waves. My face scrunches up and I bite my lip to hold back sobs.**__**

******__**My oldest brother takes action. He steps forward, sweeping me into his arms in a hug. "Imouto, I'm sorry. So sorry. Hokage-sama told me I have to go to Suna. It's a few days away, but I'll only be there for a few months. Promise," he tells me, brushing my hair away from my tear-stained face. I try to be a big girl, I really do- but I was heartbroken. My aniki was leaving me, and for a few months? I was upset. I was crying.**__**

******__**Thirty minutes later, my entire clan is gathered at the gates, seeing Dai-nii-san off. I'm standing in between my other two anikis, Masao and Kazuo. Masao-nii-san is to my left, Kazuo-nii-san to my right. I have one of Masao's hands in my left and Kazuo's in the other. Tears rolled slowly down my cheeks. This was the worst birthday I think I'll ever have.**__**

******__**Dai-nii-san stops before me, setting his things on the ground. He crouches down next to me, eye level. "Kimi-chan, my little imouto. I love you so very much." There's a sad smile on his face.**__**

******__**"I-I love-e you too, aniki," I answer, reaching out and petting his fluffy hair. Although I was still crying, I was in a slightly better mood. He was coming back, before my next birthday. He wouldn't even be gone for a whole year. **__**

******__**He smiles sadly again and leans forward, pressing a kiss to my forehead. He ruffles my hair and says, "Goodbye, imouto." He hugs me and then stands.**__**

******__**"Goodbye, aniki," I whisper brokenly. He tells the rest of the family goodbye before leaving, finally disappearing from sight.**__**

******__**When I was ten years old, my Dai-nii-san still hadn't returned. I hadn't seen him since I was five and had no contact with him, apart from letters coming every Christmas and birthday; I conditioned myself to become numb to any situation or memory regarding him. So when we received news of his death, the day of my tenth birthday, I didn't even cry. I ate my cake numbly, accepted the presents from my family and friends of the clan, got my now traditional hugs from my two brothers and locked myself in my room. I ignored the sounds of my mother crying and my father comforting her, I denied any comfort offered to me, and I didn't leave my room until three days later. And I most certainly did not cry over him.**__**

I suppose I hadn't been expecting much. But this? These two people, two of the people who have hurt me the most? No. I had not been expecting them.

"Daichi? Kazuo?" I whisper in wonder. Both of their heads turn to look at me, and then with ninja speed they're by my side.

"Imouto?" They both ask, one of them on either side. I can't even answer. I'm too shocked.

"Hey, Daichi, where is Masao?" Kazuo asks, running his hands over my side. His hands glow with green chakra. He's healing me.

"I don't know. Do you know, Kimi-chan? And where are we?" Daichi's hands are glowing with green chakra, too. He heals the stab wound on my stomach while Kazuo gets the one on my back.

"Chunin exams. Forest of Death," I answer hoarsely, still surprised. I can't form an entire sentence. There was no way they were here, not now. Daichi was dead. Kazuo was missing. This was probably some affect of the scroll-I was hallucinating. I **had **to be. I look at Kazuo first, then Daichi. Kazuo looked almost the exact same as before- it had only been a couple of months since I last saw him. His dark black hair was a little bit longer, but it still gleamed a dark red color if it hit the light in the right way. It was spiky and short. His ocean colored eyes were still as expressive as ever. He was still just under six feet tall and he exuded masculinity. He wore our clan's traditional clothing, consisting of a black, body hugging flak jacket with the kanji for 'memory' in crimson sewn on the back over a skin tight, short-sleeved black shirt, black shinobi-style pants, blood red shinobi sandals, and a kunai/shuriken pouch on his leg and a hip pouch. The only big difference was the tattoo that wound itself around his left forearm ((AN: the summoning tattoo, for those who may not remember.))

Daichi was very different. He used to have long hair, but now it was much shorter, reminding me of something in between Kakashi-sensei's and Naruto's hair. It was messy and spiky, giving it an uneven look. It was darker and silkier than before, which I hadn't even been aware was possible. He was more muscled. His muscles used to be more boyish but now they were a lot more defined. You could call them threatening, even. He was the same height and he had the same baby blue eyes. He almost looked like a carbon copy of my tou-san. The most note able changes in his appearance were the long scar on his right forearm, almost from his elbow to wrist, and the tattoo on his left forearm. It mirrored Kazuo's. Daichi is wearing clothes similar to Kazuo, but his shinobi sandals are black instead of crimson.

"Ah, that time already? Why did you call us here, imouto? We need to know," Daichi says, hands still moving over my body to heal all the cuts. "Shit, you've sustained a lot of damage."

I don't say anything. I simply raise my free arm and point across the clearing, to where the three nin from before were regaining their bearings. _They are about to attack. _Both of them look up, immediately observing every aspect of them. "Hmm," Kazuo comments before diving forward and scooping the scroll up. He winds it up quickly, glancing between the scroll and the team. "Okay. Kimi-chan, they are confused but about to attack. Where is the rest of your team? Are they...?" He trails off.

I gesture weakly behind me. They glance behind and then Daichi whistles, looking back to the three enemies. "Down and out, huh? Can you tell me why?"

"The Uchiha, the one with black hair, has chakra exhaustion and the blonde one, Uzumaki, sustained some sort of damage to the seal on his stomach," I reply automatically, eyes still trained on the three before me.

"Ah, an Uchiha? And Uzumaki? Okay. We'll deal with that once we get rid of those three," Kazuo answers. He finishes with the scroll and tucks it back inside of my hip pouch. "Okay. One on one, if we can. You know what to do, Kimi-chan?"

"Yes, yes," I nod. I stand up, somewhat shaky. Those two combined had a ridiculous amount of chakra and control over said chakra, so they managed to heal all of my major wounds and restore some of my chakra. I was still tired, yes, but renewed. "I've already graduated from the academy."

Daichi chuckles. "You have, haven't you? We have catching up to do."

I was still denying his existence. However, this hallucination was likely much better than reality, so I would go with it. "Whatever. I'm convinced I'm hallucinating."

They both stand. "Not surprised," Kazuo answers. "This is pretty crazy, huh?"

"Try very," I tell him. Daichi begins to say more, but then Dosu begins talking.

"I'll admit- I don't really understand what's going on," he begins, then continues, "but I suppose it doesn't matter. We'll still beat you. Our jutsus are sound-based, so no matter what you won't be able to dodge. See, there's this little gimmick I have." He raises his arm and pulls back the sleeve to expose the strange metal thing on his arm. He holds out his left hand and rests the metal thing on it.

"Evading won't work on my attacks. It's sound. You can evade my fist, like the girl tried, but you can't escape the sound. Do you even know the basics of sound, what causes it?" He asks.

"Vibration," I answer.

"Ah, correct. Hearing sound means your ears catch the vibration of the air. The ear drum will break at any noise over 150 MHz. And if I assault the semicircular canal, I can even make you loose balance. You wouldn't be able to move your body freely for quite some time. Taijutsu won't work on us." The bandages on his face shift, and I assume he's smirking. _He must think he's fucking brilliant or something_.

"See, you were doing good up until a certain point. You have potential talent, I'll admit. But then your body stopped wanting to cooperate. You got tired and slow. Even if you hadn't, I always could have used my jutsu and stopped you in your tracks," Zaku adds. He was crouched, knees bent, and smirking at me. "I freely use air pressure and ultrasonic waves, and I have the power to obliterate almost anything. I can even put air into the ground and make it cushiony. Any of your stupid jutsus would fail." He exposes his palms, revealing strange ducts on them. My eyes widen, and he chuckles darkly.

"Now then," Dosu asks, "who do I want to kill?"

Kazuo smirks and steps forward. "Oh, you really wanna try?"

"Hey, Ino, shouldn't we do something?" Shikamaru whispers.

"I don't think so. Who are those people, anyway?" Ino replies. Chouji munches away on his chips.

"I don't know. But they both look like Kimiko. Do you think they could be her family or something? She summoned them, after all."

"Silly Shikamaru. Didn't you hear? Her family's dead."

"Yeah, I heard, but didn't one of them survive or something?"

Ino rolls her eyes. "Okay, assume one of them is that guy. Who's the other?"

Shikamaru glances at her, then back to the clearing. The two guys stood on either side of Kimiko, just a little bit in front of her. Like they were protecting her or something. "I don't know," he admits.

"Okay then," she says, rolling her eyes again. Yeah, it was true- they did look like her, though much more masculine and some years older. And they were acting like they were protecting her or something. But she had heard the rumors herself- her clan was killed, all in one shot minus the older brother. Kind of like Sasuke-kun's, but apparently they didn't know who by. Personally, Ino didn't know who killed Sasuke's family. But she knew the adults all did.

"Whatever. Family or not, don't you wanna help? They could try to kill Sasuke or something."

Ino gulps. She wanted to help, not for the Kimiko girl but for Sasuke- but those other guys, the ones attacking, could take her out in a second. She didn't stand a chance. Then, suddenly, one of them look over, out of the corner of his eye, and he makes direct eye contact with her. It's over just like that, though. He looks away after a brief second. The better, nicer part of her was telling her she should help, so she could help Sasuke and maybe meet those two guys, because they were definitely attractive with their tight, muscle flaunting clothing. Despite all of these reasons, the selfish part said not to, because it would surely be the death of her.

"You ready, imouto?" Daichi asks, glancing over his shoulder at me.

"Hai. I want that Zaku boy," I answer quietly, prepping my senbon. It might seem like I've been using too many kunai or shuriken, but I only lost two of them. I still had plenty of weapons, from kunai and shuriken to senbon and throwing stars.

"Alright then," Daichi says, "I've got dibs on the poncho boy." I laugh humorlessly at his words.

"So that leaves me with the girl," Kazuo confirms.

"Yes," I answer.

"Well then," Dosu says, "make sure you get that Sasuke boy, Zaku."

"Will do," Zaku says, smirking easily. _Oh, he thinks he's going to actually get near my team mates? ___He's wrong. Way wrong___._

And then, without much warning, we are fighting.

Using chakra to enhance my strength and speed, I jump up several feet in the air. I had already made my substitution-which was about to be destroyed. Time to make another. I go through the hand signs mindlessly, watching Zaku. I was descending quickly to the ground. He uses the ducts on his hands to manipulate the air, blowing the kunai my substitution had tossed to dispel it. By the time he turns to find my next substitution, I've already landed on the ground behind him. Just as he dispels the other one, my kunai blade finds its way into his back.

He makes a weird sound, something between surprise and pain. He throws his body forward in an effort to dislodge the kunai. It would have worked, if I hadn't already let go of it. He turns around to face me, one hand going behind his back to pull the kunai out. He drops it to the ground after a grunt of pain. "I'm going to fucking kill you," he hisses angrily.

"Whatever you say, asshole," I snap.

He growls angrily, beyond words. He uses the same air manipulation technique and I can't get out of the way in time. I do the first thing I think of- a chakra shield. I push raw chakra outwards, using it to deflect the air waves. The shield glows and crackles with lightning. He realizes he's getting nowhere with doing that right now so he drops it, disappearing from sight. I pull the chakra back in, salvaging as much as I could.

There's a sharp, piercing pain in my back as he stabs me with a kunai. "Does it hurt?" he asks sarcastically. I don't answer. I move as quickly as I possibly could, trying to surprise him. I kick my foot out and behind his and pull, dragging him down while swinging around to punch him square in the face. He clutches his face where I punched, distracted enough for me to land a hard hit on his right arm. I knew if I disabled his arms, he would be worthless.

I rip the kunai out of my back and spare a glance towards my brothers. I knew now this was not a hallucination like I thought before. It was real, as real as real could be. There was no use fighting it- for now. I would question it all later. Daichi looked like he was having some trouble trying to defeat, or at least incapacitate, Dosu. Kazuo was winning against the girl, whatever her name was. I wasn't sure.

I'm drawn back to my fight as Zaku gets up again. I try to hit him again, aiming for his arm. I miss as he ducks and directs his palms towards me. "Slicing Sound Wave!" he shouts. __Oh, fuck. __I expel chakra as a shield once more, but he just amps up the intensity and the shield fades, leaving me exposed to the jutsu. I feel the wave make little cuts all over my body.

I jump straight up. Zaku is forced to dispel the jutsu. I make another substitution and my real self lands on the ground behind him, just like before. I'm not quite fast enough, though, because he spins around and plants his closed fist right into my nose. I wince as my nose breaks; blood begins pouring down my face. I cuss and jump back, absentmindedly wiping the blood from my face with my shirt sleeve. Zaku jumps forward, opening his palms up for another attack. This time, just as he's about to attack, I dart forward and stab his right arm, in the bend of his elbow, with a kunai. He grunts and punches me in the stomach with his other arm and releases a short burst of air, knocking me to my back.

I'm clambering to my feet, just in time to see him pulling the kunai out. His left hand is sticky with blood. His right shirt sleeve, from the elbow down, is dark with blood. Blood drips from his right hand. His eyes zero in on me- I've frozen in place. He was furious. He leaps forward with an animalistic growl, pushing me to the ground. His hands are around my throat, squeezing, constricting. "I told you I was going to kill you!"

I turn my head to the side, enough to see how Daichi and Kazuo were doing. Kazuo had knocked out the girl (who I discovered was named Kin) and now they were both fighting with Dosu. They seemed to have reached an impasse of sorts, because they were standing apart, just looking at each other. I turn my head back to Zaku. He seemed to have lost all control.

My vision is blurry on the edges, fading away. I feel impossibly dizzy and weak. Zaku smirks down at me- he seems to think he has won. I smile softly back. He was still wrong. I close my eyes and begin focusing chakra into my neck, stretching it out to encompass Zaku's hands. His grip loosens in surprise, and my eyes open again. Then, in one giant push, I expel all the chakra I could without causing serious damage to myself, keeping enough to remain conscious. It electrocutes Zaku so badly his grip slackens completely and he begins convulsing, his body collapsing on top of me. He had officially lost consciousness. I push his body off of me in one shove and I get to my feet. I look down at his limp form, making sure he had really lost consciousness and wasn't just faking it. I doubt he could have after being on the receiving end of such raw, intense lightning chakra, but I had to make sure anyway. I glance at his right arm, too. That stab had definitely disabled it.

I hobble over to my brothers and Dosu, still at an impasse. Upon seeing me, Dosu's eye darts over to Zaku's still form. He seems to bargain with himself for a minute before sighing almost imperceptibly. His hand reaches into his pouch, and he withdraws one of the two scrolls.

"Here," he says extending his arm and holding the scroll out, "I offer this, in hopes it serves as proper payment for hopefully letting my team retreat. Oh, rest assured, if we ever are in a situation to fight again, we will do so with full force. But, for now...well."

I examine his visible eye, searching for any sign that he might be lying. I determined he wasn't, so I quickly reach out and take the scroll from him. He gathers the unconscious bodies of his team mates before glancing at us and retreating back into the forest. My body finally relaxes, though only slightly. I exhale slowly, releasing the breath it felt I had been holding in for so long. My body ached, especially my neck. I slowly turn to face my brothers, lips in a flat line.

"We need to talk."

TADA.

Done. Finally. This is the longest chapter I've ever written- it's over four thousand words (which is completely ridiculously long for me)! Please, please review for this. It took me forever to write. So let me know what you think of it, kiddies:D


	17. Chapter 17 Talkative

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter seventeen of 'The Memory Keeper'. I'm surprised I've made it this far- I thought I'd give up on this story. Well, I didn't~ I'm proud of myself. Anyway, on with the chapter! This chapter is pretty important. It's essentially dialogue and memories. Enjoy it, please? It was interesting to write this one. The song is 'The Silence' by Mayday Parade. I feel that the particular pieces I chose describes the current relationship between Kimi-chan and her brothers, and how she feels about the situation as a whole. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with the whole editing things- I've put in the horizontal lines to act as page breakers for every chapter, but the edits aren't showing on the public story. Hopefully these page breaks work.

****DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own Naruto (I'm getting tired of putting this every time): )  
><strong><strong>WARNING:<strong>**Angst. Anger. Cussing (Kimi-chan!).

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
><strong>****__**This is what memories, recalling of something, or showing of a memory to another looks**__****_** like.**_****_  
><em>**__This is what Kimi's thoughts look like.  
>'This is what song lyrics look like.' <em>_

And so they talk~~

~~MK~~

__'The blood is running through her veins___  
><em>__With every beat, there's no escape___  
><em>__Lost in everything she trusts___  
><em>__Still can't seem to get enough.'__

__'Memories, they take her back___  
><em>__Every moment fades to black.' __

__'She wishes time would ease the pain.'__

_~~MK~~_

"Yeah," Kazuo says, looking down at his feet. "I guess we have a lot of talking to do."

I roll my eyes and laugh humorlessly. "You guess?"

They both wince at my tone. "Well," Daichi says, "how about we go sit with your team and heal our wounds? I saw what that Zaku gaki did."

I nod, turning and walking back to where Sasuke and Naruto lay without a word. Both of them follow me there without speaking. The atmosphere between the three of is tense. I kneel next to Sasuke, feeling his forehead. It was a bit warm, but not much to worry about. Then I feel Naruto's forehead. His was fine as well. Just to be safe, though, I put fresh rags on their foreheads. It was a meager effort, but I didn't have any fever reducing medicine to give them, and even if I did I couldn't easily give it to them while they were unconscious. After sitting there, legs crossed, for a moment, simply waiting for one of them to speak, Kazuo finally speaks up.

"So, uh, about Masao..." Kazuo asks, catching my gaze.

"You mean you don't know?" I ask, brows furrowed.

"No, we don't. We know the clan was...killed...but Masao was supposed to live," Daichi says, frowning slightly.

I look at my hands, knotted together in my lap, for a moment, just thinking. Then something clicks. Something that made perfect, painful and sickening sense. "Y-you****KNEW****?" I shrieked, jumping up and staring at them accusingly. "Here I fucking am, living in some stupid fucking apartment since January when you disappeared off the face of the earth-" -I gesture to Kazuo- "wondering what the hell I'm going to do with myself and why in the world has this happened to **me**...when it was all ****fucking********PLANNED?******" **I growl senselessly, immediately diving for Daichi's neck. I manage to get a good hold on it and I'm squeezing his neck as hard as I could, watching him gasp for air and claw at my hands. I growl again, pushing him into the ground. I was determined to hurt him as much as he had. __Planned! Fucking planned!__

Kazuo manages to pull me off of him. I lower my hands but that doesn't stop me from cursing him with every single unsavory word I could possibly come up with.****"Fucking fuck both of you!********Die in a hole!"**** __How eloquent.__

Kazuo lets go of my arms and steps back once I spin around to look at him. I manage to reign my anger in enough to simply clench my fists at my sides and mentally curse both of them to the very depths of hell.

Fury is clear on my face, and they both shrink back from me. "Kimi-chan, what are you- Where is Masao?" Daichi asks. "Tell us!"

I roll my eyes again, gesturing wildly in the air and say, voice full of sarcasm, "Oh, I guess I'd better show you! Since you ****deserve****answers!" Without warning, I lean directly over Naruto and Sasuke and press the palms of my hands to the foreheads of my brothers.

~~MK~~

**__**"Where the hell are we?"**__**

******__**I look over my shoulder to Kazuo and Daichi, where both are looking around in surprise. "It appears that I have taken you into one of my memories," I reply. "C'mon. Look, there I am now. We have to go-we've got things to see."**__**

******__**Both of them follow after me. I had taken them back to the memory of when I discovered the murder of my entire clan. We were standing just before the main clan house in my clan's district, where I used to live. I remember this moment precisely- the nerves jumbling in my stomach, the knowing something was up because absolutely no one was outside. The stench of blood was in the air. I look back at them- they both appear guilty. They knew what was going to happen. The reality of it all, what I had to see seemed to be really setting in right about now. Good. I hope they felt guilty as hell.**__**

******__**We step up the stairs, following right after the Me in the memory. She pauses momentarily to remove her shoes before moving on to look into the living room. And then we step in the living room. They both gasp in horror at the sight-the blood, the bodies, all of the horrible things that made my chest ache even now. They look around quickly, soaking in every detail-then they see the memory Masao.**__**

******__**"Oh, god," Kazuo says, hand flying up to his mouth. The memory Me spots him too, running through pools of blood to reach his side. He breathes out- shaky and uneven and shallow.**__**

******__**"Masao-nii-san!" the memory Me shouts, tears pouring freely. "We need to get you to a hospital!"**__**

******__**"N-no...Kimi...imouto...I love you," the memory Masao stutters out, jerking his head in a weak shake. He pats my hand gently. "I'm a goner...but K-Kazuo...he got out. Safe."**__**

******__**"N-no! We have to save you! I love you too m-much to let go!" the memory Me protests. I mouth the words along with her. **__**

******__**"L-love you. I..don't let yourself get filled with h-hate," Masao whispers, a ghost of his former self. He smiles softly, gently, before his eyes slip closed and he fades away. The memory Me just sits there, frozen for several minutes. The three of us stand there too, quietly observing the whole fucked up scene. After what we wait for what feels like forever, the memory Me shakily stands, backing away. She slips in a pile of blood, falling back and landing painfully, right next to the torso of father. She whimpers and winces, recognizing who it was a part of before scrambling up again. She glances, eyes full of fear and disgust and pure horror back at the room before running straight past us and out the front doors. I know where she's heading. Towards the Hokage tower, and halfway there she'll literally run into someone in full ANBU gear who picks her up, cradles her in their arms and runs straight to the Hokage. She's covered in blood. It's everywhere-in her hair, on her clothes, underneath her fingernails, soaking into her skin and staying there forever, no matter how much she tried to scrub it off. I still felt the blood, even now.**__**

******__**We follow her out the doors, watching as she runs barefoot straight through the clan grounds, occasionally hitting a corner or stumbling over a rock. We follow her as she reaches the gates, throwing them open with a violent shove. We follow her as she runs out into the streets, shocking every single person she passes by. She runs into someone, soaking them in the blood before running on, not even offering any apology. I recognize that person now- it was Shikamaru Nara's father. He looks disgusted and confused and just a little bit pitying. She keeps running before knocking into that ANBU. The ANBU was a male, that much was clear. He had inky black hair and a cat mask. He doesn't say anything. He grabs her by the arm and she pauses, though not willingly. Her eyes are wild and she begins tugging at his hand, trying to get him to remove it and let her keep running. She says things that don't make much sense, just crazed objections. With his other hand, he touches her cheek, showing a brief feeling of pity. Then there's a blur of movement and she's cradled in his arms. They disappear from sight as she's carried off to the Hokage, and the memory ends.**__**

**__****_~~MK~~_**

I withdraw my hands from their foreheads, leaning back and observing their faces. They both look so completely guilty and for a moment I feel a little bit sorry for forcing them to witness that. I push that emotion away to the far corners of my mind and sit on the ground again, crossing my legs underneath myself and looking to the forest floor. We remain in silence for several minutes. I lift my head, ready to say something. "So. I want an explanation, right now."

Daichi and Kazuo share a look that makes my stomach drop. "Well..." Daichi starts.

"We can't give you one," Kazuo finishes, fingers knotting together.

I raise a hand to my face and pinch the bridge of my nose, eyes fluttering closed. Through gritted teeth, I grate out the words, "And. Why. Not." I could feel a headache swiftly developing, right behind my eyes. This was quite possibly one of the worst weeks of my entire life.

"It's for your safety," Daichi assures.

I laugh bitterly, the sound harsh coming from me. "Do you realize how ****fucking stupid**** that sounds?" My voice heightens by a few octaves, giving away my frustration. A murderous aura was emanating from my entire body, seeping out of every pore. I wanted to hurt something. Badly.

"Uh, yeah," Kazuo chuckles nervously. "We're really sorry, but we can't. We want to. But we can't."

"Thank you for such an amazing answer, Kazuo! Really enlightening. Makes me wonder why in the hell I should even be talking to you!" I snap, standing up swiftly. Kazuo and Daichi both stand up, clearly worried about what I might do.

"Kimi-chan, we understand how angry you must be-" Daichi begins.

"Yeah, I'm pretty fucking angry! I haven't seen you since I was five-" -gesture to Daichi- "-I thought you both were dead, and then here you guys are, alive and well, asking questions and you won't even tell ****me**** what's happening! I think I have a right to know why this is happening!" I rant, angrier than before.__How dare they tell me all of that bullshit, concluding 'it's for my own safety'! I haven't_______**_**been**_**_______safe! I wasn't safe when the clan was still around, because Masao was fucking insane!__

They sigh. "Ah, um, I guess we could tell you a little bit..." Daichi mutters.

"Yeah, but not everything. We're really pushing ourselves by telling you anything, okay?" Kazuo tells me. "Just please, sit down." I roll my eyes derisively and comply, not missing the hurt and guilty looks on both of their faces. __Whatever, I don't care.__

"You see, our clan's powerful. We have perfect memories, amazing genjutsu abilities that rival the sharingan, and all-around valuable skills. There is a certain...group...that wants us to join up and help them. They have for a while now, but we've denied. They're persistent, though, and they killed the clan. Kazuo and I managed to get away from it by careful planning, and you were simply not there," Daichi explains.

I was frowning at the ground through out the speech. I turn to look Daichi directly in the eyes and I give him the angriest glare I possibly could, the kind of glare that burned flowers and killed puppies. "What group is it." I don't word it like a question- it was a statement. I wasn't asking them for anything; I was demanding it. I was getting fed-up with not knowing anything. I did not like it when someone else knew something, and I knew that they knew something and they wouldn't tell me or they were trying to avoid talking about it.

"I...uh, well, they call themselves the Akatsuki," Daichi informs me.

"And who the hell are they," I reply, still glaring at him. The way he almost imperceptibly shrunk away from my gaze was not lost on me.

"A highly dangerous group of S-class criminals," Kazuo answers, "and they are the sort of-"

"Kimiko? Who are these people?"

All three of us immediately look to the source of the noise. It's Sasuke. He's halfway sitting up, eyes wide but still alert and focused on Daichi and Kazuo. His body is tensed, ready to move if need be. "Ah, Sasuke," I answer, crouching next to him, "I was worried about you. You got chakra exhaustion."

His gaze flickers for a moment over to me before it goes straight back to my brothers. "That's nice," he replies slowly, "but that didn't answer my question."

I roll my eyes for the millionth time. "I realize that, Sasuke. These are...my brothers."

"What?" He asks, eyes on me again. He's surprised, too. "I thought they were dead or missing?"

"Apparently not," I tell him. Both of my brothers are observing Sasuke quietly, measuring him up. Kazuo's eyes are blazing. Daichi's eyes are narrowed. They've both gone into overprotective brother mode. They seem to approve of him, for they lean back and nod slightly.

"Hm," Kazuo says, "he is sufficient."

"Yes, it appears so," Daichi replies, nodding. "Well, Uchiha, you pass. For now."

"Pass what?" Sasuke asks, sitting up all the way. He looks over to me again. "What are they talking about? And what are they doing here?"

"Poor clueless Uchiha," Daichi says, answering for me. "We were summoned via a special little scroll."

"Yup," Kazuo adds, "Summoned. Oh, my name is Kazuo, by the way."

"And I'm Daichi," Daichi tells him. "Now, imouto, I need to take a look at your throat. I saw what that Zaku gaki did."

I nod, but then hesitate slightly when I realize I'd have to remove the bandages from my neck. He'd see the scar, ask about it, and I would have to tell him. In front of Sasuke, who consequently would hear it. I move to sit next to Daichi and I slowly remove them. Sasuke was being checked on by Kazuo, who was also telling him what happened when he was out. When the bandages are all removed and Daichi's eyes narrow in on the scar that trailed from one side of my neck to the other and down my right shoulder and arm, all the way until an inch or so before the bend of my elbow he whistles loudly, drawing the attention of Kazuo and Sasuke.

"Imouto," he says, "Where the hell did you get that scar?"

My eyes flicker over to Sasuke and Kazuo, both of who were looking at the scar. Sasuke looked in obvious curiosity and Kazuo looked with guilt. "Uh," I swallow hard, "when I was eight, Masao-nii-san was already a jonin. He went on an 'A' ranked mission and when he came back, he wasn't the same. He would sometimes have these...moods...where he would kind of lose himself."

"Masao did this?" Daichi asks.

"Uh, yeah," I answer uneasily. Daichi looks really angry and upset, and also slightly pitying and guilty. "Don't worry about it! He did it often. It wasn't such a big deal."

__Lie. That was a lielielie. It was a really big deal. __And Daichi can probably tell I'm lying, too. I look at him. His brow is furrowed and he's frowning. _Yes, he can tell. He can definitely tell._

"Can I see?" He asks.

I look down at my hands, hyper aware of the fact that yes, Sasuke could very well hear me and he was paying attention. "I...I guess." He nods at this and leans forward. I glance at Sasuke, who looks a little bit worried. I smile slightly, trying to reassure him. He catches the meaning behind it and nods slightly. Then I turn back to Daichi and press my hand to his forehead, just like I had done before.

~~MK~~

_____**_**The clearing is small, about fifteen feet across in total. Daichi and I are standing in the middle of it. I hear the sounds of branches breaking and someone protesting-the beginnings of Masao-nii-san's negative mood. "Where are we now? And when?" Daichi asks, looking around.**_**_

___**_**"The forest by the north training grounds. A week after my tenth birthday," I answer plainly. "Look, there I am with Masao." I point to where the two of us were entering the clearing. Masao-nii-san has his hand knotted through her hair, pulling memory Me alongside him viciously. She stumbles as her foot gets caught on a tree root sticking up from the ground; Masao-nii-san pulls her back up with a sharp yank on her hair. I glance at Daichi-he's wincing with every yank or tug.**_**_

___**_**"You're fucking pathetic," Masao snaps, tossing her to the ground. She winces and scrambles up, backing away. The memory Me is too scared to do much else but stare in fear. The memory Masao is behind her in an instant, twisting her arm behind her and pressing a kunai to her throat. She winces as blood is drawn. "Well? What're you gonna do? Just keep being pathetic, huh?"**_**_

___**_**She bites her lip so hard it bleeds. The blood trickles down her chin and mixes with the blood from her neck, pouring down to stain her shirt. He twists her arm again and drags the blade slowly, agonizingly across her neck and down the exposed inside of her arm. Looking back, I realize I was lucky he didn't end up slitting my throat and killing me.**_**_

___**_**His grip on her slackens and the blade is lowered. "Masao," Kazuo says, "Let her go."**_**_

___**_**Masao sighs heavily. The wicked scowl on his face only deepens. "No," he answers heavily. A dark shape darts out, tackling him to the ground and thrown against a tree. The memory Me stumbles forward, whirling around and facing them.**_**____**_**Kazuo whispers to Masao, and Masao relaxes, realizing who he is again. His eyes fill with tears at the sight of her and he begs, pleads for her forgiveness. And she grants it to him.**_**_

_~~MK~~_

As I pull away from Daichi, I ignore the horribly guilty look on his face. I ignore the tear trickling down his cheek. He doesn't say anything. He just swallows and raises his hand to heal my neck.

Thirty minutes later finds me bidding my brothers goodbye. Naruto had woken up a few minutes after Daichi healed my neck, and while packing up camp my brothers, Sasuke and I all explained to him what happened. Unfortunately, it was mentioned I had a peculiar scar and Naruto gave me a questioning look. I told him that once it was all over I had quite a bit of talking to do to both him and Sasuke, and likely Kakashi-sensei as well. Thankfully, Naruto accepted this answer and kept quiet about it. After we finished packing, my brothers informed me that they couldn't stay right now but they'd try to be present at the time of the third exam. They did let me know they would keep contact with me and tell me know when it was okay to summon them again, so they could permanently stay. I told them I would have to tell the Hokage all about this. They accepted that, and even told me it was for the best.

Daichi stands to the side as Kazuo tells me goodbye. Kazuo engulfs me in a hug. "Goodbye, imouto. I recommend you go to the clan grounds and search through some of the stuff there. You might find some interesting things," he whispers, pulling me close. He kisses my forehead and I think of that night years ago when I was sick and he took care of me. Then he's pulling away and I banish the memory from the front of my mind. I needed to focus. Part of me wonders what he meant when he said to go searching through stuff at the clan grounds. _What for?_

"Goodbye, Kazuo," I answer

Daichi steps forward to hug me, too. "Oh, dear imouto," he murmurs, "I'll be giving you many hugs to make up for all the ones I missed. Especially the birthday ones."

We step back. "Goodbye, Daichi-nii-san. Goodbye, Kazuo-nii-san," I say. They smile at me, picking up on the fact I purposefully included the 'nii-san' honorific at the end. I had forgiven them, at least part way. Then they're making several complicated hand signs and the clearing fills with thick smoke again. When it clears, they're finally gone.

__Again.__

~~MK~~

TADA!

The end. I'm cutting the chapter off here. The next chapter will start at the beginning of part three. I hope you enjoyed this chapter(: It took a while for me to write the memories, so they'd better be good, haha:P Please review (pretty please). Expect chapter eighteen in a week! Oh, and a side note- I plan on starting a second fanfic here in a few months. It'll probably be AU.


	18. Chapter 18 Amplify

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter eighteen! This chapter features Kimi's fight in the prelims for the third part. The prelims will be starting as soon as the second phase ends, like in the show, but unlike the prelims in the show I'm having Dosu fight against Chouji as the ninth match, followed by Lee versus Gaara. Enjoy the chapter, please, because I really worked hard on it. Comment and vote(: the song is 'Riot' by Three Days Grace.

****DISCLAIMER: ****I don't own Naruto.  
><strong><strong>WARNING:<strong>** Cussing, blood, flexibility, a confession and some descriptive violence. You have been warned.

**_**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**_****  
><strong>**__**This is what memories look like.**__**_  
><em>__This is what Kimi's thoughts look like.___  
><em>__'This is what song lyrics look like.' __

And so it starts with a smirk~

~TMK~

__'If you feel so filthy, so dirty  
>so fucked up.<br>If you feel so walked on,  
>so painful, so pissed off<br>You're not the only one  
>Refusing to go down<br>So get up.' __

~TMK~

Kakashi-sensei definitely noticed the exposed scar on my neck and arm. I know he did.

After all of the bandages were used, there was none left over to cover my arm and neck. So it was just out in the open, there for anyone to see. It made me exceedingly uncomfortable. I shift my weight again, ignoring the searing pain in my upper back. Daichi had healed it as much as he could, but he did warn me that it could reopen and start bleeding again if I moved around too much. And he was right- I could feel a small trail of blood dripping down my back. The blood was probably seeping through the bandages and my shirt as well.

I carefully observe the people around me with an emotionless gaze. The kids from Oto were there, unfortunately, but it looked like Zaku's arms were still disabled. I catch his gaze and offer him a smirk. His eyes narrow and he scowls at me, obviously riled up by my gaze. He looks away first, and I look at his arms. They still looked disabled, though I could be wrong. I look back to the front, trying to pay attention to what the proctor was saying. There was to be a preliminary round to get rid of a few of the kids, and they'd be starting right away. And, since there was an uneven amount of people, somebody would be unlucky enough to go twice. I hoped I wasn't that person- I was already in poor physical condition.

~TMK~

The arena was huge.

I remember learning in class about other cultures, one of them being a group of people called Romans. They had arenas like this, called coliseums. Right now it was the tenth match, Lee versus Gaara. I discovered that I would be fighting the repeater, whoever that may be. Kakashi-sensei managed to get my wounds looked at by the medic nins on standby, but there was only so much they could do. They rewrapped my wounds after cleaning them, used chakra to close them and warned me not to move around a whole lot so they didn't re-open. I thought that bit of advice was pretty useless, since I was about to engage in a fight, but I didn't say anything.

Both of my team mates already went. Sasuke fought against someone named Yoroi, from Kabuto's team, and Naruto went against Kiba. Both of them won theirs, so I was determined I would win too. No matter the cost. Two of the kids from Oto, Zaku and Kin, lost theirs but the leader Dosu won against Chouji. I really hoped I fought against anyone but Dosu.

And the fight between Lee and Gaara is drawing to an end. My turn. My stomach churns- I'm so incredibly nervous right now. I bite the inside of my mouth and stuff my hands inside of my pocket. Kakashi-sensei looks at me from the corner of his eye. I frown, not because of the look, but because of the unfamiliar scroll that was in my pocket. I remove it from my pocket and look down at it.

Attached to it is a note. The note reads, 'Hey imouto-this will be beneficial in future fights. Don't open it until you need it. You might be confused at first, but you'll figure out what to do with it. Love, Kazuo.' I scowl down at it. Kazuo was too cryptic sometimes. And why didn't he just give it to me, instead of slipping it into my pocket without my knowledge? He most likely did it while we were hugging. __That sneaky bastard.__

I pull out of my reverie, stuffing the scroll into my pouch. He did it for a reason, and a reason I would just have to find out. The fight was over- I lean forward and rest my elbows on the top of my thighs. I was tense. "Hey, Kimi-chan, you're gonna go next!" Naruto exclaims.

"Hai," I nod. "I know."

Naruto begins to say more, but then the proctor Hayate is speaking. "Okay then! We have one more fight left- this year there is an uneven number of participants, therefore one participant who won their previous battle will engage in a second match with the other remaining participant," he says, pausing a few times to cough, "and that is Dosu Kinuta versus Kimiko Kioku."

__Fuck, this is bad. Really bad.__He defeated Chouji, even when he blocked out the sound, by transmitting his sound waves through the water in Chouji's body. So how would I do this? I was already weakened considerably. This would be extremely hard. As I stand from my seat, several eyes swivel to look at me. People were watching me. Tons of people would be watching.

As I walk away, towards the entrance to the arena, Naruto shouts, "GOOD LUCK KIMI-CHAN!" I pause and look back. Naruto is grinning, giving me a thumbs up. Sasuke is simply smirking, but that was as close to a 'good luck' as I would get from him. Kakashi-sensei is watching me carefully, seeming uncharacteristically serious. As I meet his gaze, there's a shifting behind his mask and he's smiling at me. I smile softly back at my three team mates. Then I'm turning and leaving, going to the entrance. People observe me as I walk past, noting the blood on my shirt and how much of my body is wrapped in bandages. They were probably all thinking the same thing- __she's going to lose.__

~TMK~

__This fight is going to be brutal,__I think. I'm standing a few feet away from Dosu, waiting for the signal to begin. I tally up my odds- I had the advantage of knowing what his fighting style was while mine was kept secret, but he had an even bigger advantage. He could manipulate sound waves, send them through water even. I could only hope he would toy with me, because if he did that would give me more time to think about how to defeat him. I could always try to destroy that tool on his arm, but I doubted that would work well. I would have to get close to him, and while I would have the advantage when it came to taijutsu, he would likely resort to desperate measures just to protect it.

He pretty much controlled this battle, and he knew that.

As soon as the 'go' signal begins, he smirks at me and jumps towards me, swinging his fist to punch me. I duck beneath it and swing my leg out to knock him off balance. He moves away to avoid it, but I manage to clip the side of his leg with my foot and he stumbles. He was surprised at my actions- I used it to benefit me. I direct a high kick to his face and a kick with my other foot towards his simultaneously, leaving my entire body airborne. I press my hand to the ground, like I'm doing a very awkward handstand, using it as support. As one foot makes contact with his face and then clears his face, I change the direction of my other after it connects with his stomach and I kick his jaw with all the force I can muster. He stumbles back from the force and I twist my body around, still only supported by my hand, so I perform a back flip and land safely on my feet.

My chest heaves from the exertion, and my wounds have already re-opened. He's gripping his jaw, visible eye wide with surprise. Blood seeps through the bandages surrounding his mouth. That was good- the force behind that kick definitely hurt. The power and momentum behind it probably knocked a few teeth loose and could have even fractured part of his jaw. "How?" he murmurs.

"Does it matter?" I ask, sitting in a crouched position. "I managed to make contact with you."

His eyes flicker to me. He's pissed off that I managed to make contact with him. I smirk at him, taunting him. If he was anything like his team mate, or most people, if I taunted him and made him angry enough he would act without thinking. I begin to say something else, but then he's scowling and he lets the metal contraption rest on his hand. "You'll die here."

I wince and grit my teeth as a blast of sound assaults my ears, and my hands instinctively go up to cup my ears. I feel a warm liquid trickle down, soaking my fingers. Blood. I was bleeding. He was angry, I was bleeding and disoriented. My vision was a bit blurry around the edges. This was bad. I rise shakily to my feet and spare a glance up to the stands. I needed some inspiration, in the form of seeing my team mates watching me. I spot Sasuke, who's face holds the ghost of a smirk, and Naruto, who's watching intently with a look of concern on his face. I look desperately for Kakashi-sensei- where was he?

Hurt settles in my heart as I realize he's not there. I knew that he was generally focused more upon the boys, whether it be from the assumption I could take care of myself, or just not caring as much, but I didn't think he cared so little as to not even watch. I turn back to Dosu and try to push my hurt away. I could fall to pieces over how stressed I was later. For now, I needed to focus on Dosu.

I turn back to face Dosu. He's smirking beneath the bandages at me, just a single foot away. "You're disoriented, bleeding, and running out of time. Remember what I said in the Forest of Death? My sound waves assault your ears."

I snarl at him, "Shut the fuck up!" I dart forward again, aiming my fist towards his face. My hand clips the side of his face and he grunts in pain, swinging the metal contraption back around and a high keening noise echoes through my brain. I fall to my knees, my hands flying up to cover my ears. I hiss in pain, swallowing hard. I taste something bitter and iron-like- my mouth was full of blood. I spit it out, glaring up at him. I was very, very disoriented. My movements were sloppy and I was growing desperate. I knew my body couldn't sustain a whole lot more damage than it already had.

"Oh, having trouble? And to think you were so feisty," he mocks. My hearing and vision waver as he continues talking softly, explaining to me how horribly I would fail. I shake my head as my vision completely disappears for a few terrifying moments. It comes back at my action and I know I need to get up. I stumble to my feet, seeing double. We were closer to one end of the field. He was slowly cornering me. I needed to push him towards the center so I had more options. I couldn't dodge the sound-based attacks, but I could at least dodge the others. I blink rapidly, focusing my vision. Then without a word I launch into a taijutsu battle. I had the advantage when it came to taijutsu it seemed.

I punch him in the stomach. He grunts and another sound wave hits my ears. My vision blurs and my head rings, but I don't stop moving. I move quickly, hitting him as viciously as possible. I force him back a couple of feet, ignoring my disorientation. The fight had been dragging on for nearly twenty minutes now. __I need to end this soon. Really, really soon.__I manage to move him to the center, and we're standing in a small depression created from a previous fight. Through my fuzzy mind I think of my options. He begins talking again, louder, buying me more time to think.

The scroll Kazuo slipped in my pocket. That could be useful, and I was growing desperate quickly. I was light headed from not only the assault on my ears but the profuse bleeding. My body was torn to pieces by his techniques.

Okay. The scroll it was. Keeping my sight on Dosu, who was still talking, I use one hand to extract the scroll. I look at him. He pauses in his speech, eyeing the scroll carefully. "What is that?" He asks.

"A summoning scroll," I answer. My voice is dry and weak. Without waiting for him to say anything else, I open the scroll with a flick of my wrist and I read it quickly. It was a summoning scroll for water. I frown slightly at that- water?

And then it makes sense. Water was exactly what would help me most right now. I smirk at him and the look in his eyes lets me know he's majorly confused. I lay the scroll on the ground and make the hand signs as fast as I can. Forming the final one, I stomp my foot on the summoning seal and jump out of the depression. I land right at the edge and I watch as it fills with water.

Dosu is clearly unaware on how bad it is for him that he's standing knee-deep in a pool of water. He looks at the water, then at me. "What do you think you're going to be able to do with water?"

I look at him, keeping eye contact. "I am so sick and tired of getting underestimated. People do that to me all the time, even my instructors have. They think that my kekkai genkai is worthless and I have no abilities, and then they move on to marvel at my team mates because one is known for being powerful and capable and so much better than everyone else, and the other just draws attention with everything he does. You don't know much about my abilities, do you? So you don't know what I am and am not capable of. It's people like you who piss me off- the kind who make assumptions, especially when it comes to determining another's capacity. You do not know my abilities, and I know all about yours. That gives me an advantage. You were kind enough to tell me. So I'll tell you about mine." I stick my finger in the water, swirling it around and causing ripples. My voice is loud, loud enough that everyone in the arena can hear me, and I seem to be ranting. "Do you know anything about the conducting properties of water?"

He jerks his head slightly, letting me know that he didn't. I smile at him. "You probably don't know about my kekkai genkai, either? Well, first let me explain the kekkai genkai. Essentially, I have a picture perfect memory. I notice every single thing-every movement, every noise, no matter how miniscule or quiet. And about water- water is good at being a conductor. It amplifies electricity or lightning to a heightened level, makes it that much more powerful and devastating. Fresh water works, but not as good as salt water. And this is just fresh water, not salt. Or, it wouldn't be if you were standing in it. Human sweat contains a considerable amount of salt, just enough for it to work-"

"For what to work?" He asks, interrupting me. He seems alarmed. I scowl at him, not happy that he interrupted my explanation.

"Patience, Kinuta, I'm getting there. My chakra affinity is effective in this situation-It's lightning, you see. You could get out of the water, but you would still be soaked and it would still work. Severe electrical shock causes burns, and if it's bad enough it can induce ventricular fibrillation. All that is is irregular contraction of your heart. There's also neurological effects, in which one lacks control over his or her basic functions, especially your heart and lungs," I tell him, leaning forward to lower my whole fist into the water. I slowly begin gathering chakra there. "And guess what? Electricity moves faster than sound."

His eye widens in horror as he finally catches on. But it's too late-I charge my fist with as much lightning as I could. The water is alight instantly, crackling and glowing with the lightning. He screams in agony and a sizzling noise fills the air. He tries in vain to get out of the water, but he fails miserably. He's getting sensory overload as the combination of water and lightning fries his nerves. I know I could stop now, but I don't. I was experiencing a sort of sensory overload too-my ears were ringing with his agonized screams and the sound of his skin burning and my nose was filled with the scent of burning flesh. He falls face forward into the water, already dead. His skin was frying, sliding off of his body like it was oiled and his muscles and ligaments and tendons were loosing their elasticity.

He's dead. I killed him. I can stop now. I shakily withdraw my hand, staring down at it. I was protected from the main, and most severe, damage because the chakra encased my entire hand and shielded it from the water. My skin was still tinged pink, though, and I lean back on my folded legs. Dosu is floating face down in the water. Someone grabs my shoulders, saying something to me, but their words don't quiet process. My gaze drifts to them- it's the proctor, Hayate. I blink at him, frowning, watching his mouth move. I couldn't hear anything but the ringing in my head. What was he saying? I blink again. My vision was still blurred. I look down at my hands, wondering why I couldn't hear. Maybe it was because I sustained so much damage to my ears.

I look up at the ceiling. My body felt weak and like it was floating. Black dots dance across my eyes and I can still smell burned skin. I was dizzy and my head pounded. My sight fades away and my body slackens as I loose consciousness.

~TMK~

Well.

That was kind of gory.

Sorry if that fight scene sucked): I don't like it. I think it's lacking in length and description. Then again, Kimi was extremely disoriented and focused on Dosu most of it.

Those facts Kimi tells Dosu about electrocution are legit. Google it if you want, or if you ask me I can explain it to you so it's much clearer than what is told to Dosu. Please review(: I'd really appreciate it. The next chapter will probably be filler, so I should be able to write it quickly and publish it by Sunday. This is not edited, either, so if there's any mistakes I apologize.

And for the reviews- I've decided I'll reply to them within the chapter. For this chapter, there's just two replies.

For the Guest review on chapter seventeen- Thank you so much for reviewing(: I don't know your username or anything, so I couldn't PM you. But I had to say something. It means a lot for you to say stuff like that, that it's a wonderful story and to compliment it. The interactions between characters is critical, so I work really hard on that part. I also work on keeping them in character, having a plot that makes sense, and staying relatively realistic and believe-able for that particular story, so having a reader tell me that all of that is working is motivational and keeps me writing(: You pretty much inspired me to get this chapter out sooner rather than later. Sorry if it disappoints you!

For warrioroftheravens- haa, np:D I appreciate your review. I try to pick songs that match what's happening in the story, so I'm glad to know that it works! I wasn't sure about that specific one, either, so that's even better. I also try to put as much emotion into my writing as I can. The emotions a reader gets from the story is a big part of it.


	19. Chapter 19 An Explanation For Everything

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter nineteen. This is mostly talking, and I mean a lot of talking. Please enjoy it! The song is 'Grim Goodbye' by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Most parts of it describe Kimi:D

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto, because Masashi Kishimoto does.  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Angst, cussing, a memory. Kimi is majorly OOC, but just temporarily.

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.******  
><strong>**__**This is what memories look like.**__**_  
><em>__This is what Kimi's thoughts look like.___  
><em>__'This is what song lyrics look like.' __

So it begins~ 

~TMK~

_'___Fate seems to recreate,___  
><em>__I just cannot escape.___  
><em>__Something holds me down___  
><em>__and makes me act a way___  
><em>__I can't explain.___  
><em>__Even now I can feel it___  
><em>__coming over me, choking me,___  
><em>__as I'm falling behind___  
><em>__you can say you know me___  
><em>__but you have no clue what___  
><em>__my dreams could show you.___  
><em>__And darkness is fading in,___  
><em>__and darkness is real...'__

~TMK~

******__**"Kimi-chan, wake up," a voice whispers, rousing me from sleep. I draw my blankets around me tighter, ignoring them. I was still tired and I wanted to sleep. "Imouto-chan. Up."**__**

******__**They begin poking me gently in the side. I sigh and roll over to face them, untangling myself from the comforter. It's Masao-nii-san. "Aniki," I mumble, "I'm trying to sleep."**__**

******__**Masao-nii-san laughs. "Imouto, I know. I just wanted to say goodbye- I'm leaving on a very important mission and I won't be back for a while." He has a small, sad smile on his face. I look at him- he's wearing his special jonin gear, the long-term kind. This was serious. I fling my arms around his shoulders and hug him as tight as I could.**__**

******__**"I love you aniki," I tell him, arms still around him. "Please come home soon. I'll miss you!"**__**

******__**He laughs and hugs me back. "Love you too, imouto. I'll miss you too. And I'll try to be home as soon as possible."**__**

******__**I pull back, biting my lip. I was only eight. I didn't want to lose my brother. I nod at him, smiling softly, and he leans over and kisses the top of my head. Then he's gone, disappearing out of my bedroom door and down the hall. Silent as ever. **__**

~TMK~

I was in a hospital room.

That much was clear- the ceiling above me was a bit blurry, but it was completely white. On the bottom edge of my vision I could see three different hair colors- silver, blonde and inky black. My team. They were here. I can hear a steady beeping noise, but it sounds far away. Muffled, like I had a pillow covering my ears. My body tenses as the tuft of silvery hair moves until Kakashi-sensei is leaning directly over me. His obsidian eye watches me carefully.

"Ah. Kimi-chan, you're awake," he says, and then the blonde and black hair move until Naruto and Sasuke are leaning down over me, staring at me like Kakashi-sensei was.

"Hai." My voice seems muffled, like all the other noises, and my throat is dry. My whole body aches with pain. I try to sit up, and Kakashi-sensei helps me by looping his arm underneath me and propping me up. Now I'm sitting the right way, so I can see the hospital room better. It's pretty simple- some machinery, my cot, a couch and a particularly ugly painting hanging on the wall opposite my bed. A glance to the side reveals there's a side table next to my bed, and there are three plastic folding chairs. Probably what my team was sitting in.

"Well, Kimi-chan, now that you're awake," Kakashi-sensei begins.

"We want our explanation," Sasuke says next.

"For everything, 'ttebayo," Naruto finishes.

I look at them. They were really serious. I sigh and tell them, "Find a seat. This will take a while." They deserved these answers, because they were my team mates and they cared to some level.

They nod, all sharing a glance, and take their seats. Once seated, they all look at me expectantly. I raise one hand, ignoring the wave of pain that jolts straight up my head, and I rub at my temple, trying to dispel the oncoming headache. "Okay. So where should I begin?"

"At the beginning," Naruto says, and Sasuke shoots him a look. "Okay. Your brothers. And that scar and all that."

"Okay. First things first, I have, or had, three older brothers. One was much older than me. By the time I was two he already was on ANBU, so I didn't see him much because he never was around. On my fifth birthday, not long after he turned eighteen, he was sent on a mission to Suna, for what I don't know. He was only supposed to be gone for a couple of months, but those months turned into years and I never saw him again. When I turned ten we received news that he was dead. His name was Daichi," I inform them, speaking slowly. My throat was scratchy and my hearing was still muffled. I press on with my story.

"Now, two years before we were told he was dead, another one of my older brothers Masao was a jonin. Masao and Kazuo were twins, both sixteen when I was eight. Masao was a jonin then, though Kazuo was not long after. And Masao was sent on this mission. When he came back he wasn't...the same." My voice threatens to crack, but I manage to keep it under control. "He wasn't exactly the nicest to me before, not like Kazuo and Daichi were, but he wasn't cruel. He didn't try to coddle me or treat me like I was a kid, even though I was. He trained me just like Kazuo did. After that mission, though, he had what my mom called his 'moods'. I guess there was just something bad about that mission that stayed with him, because whenever he was reminded of it, it set him off."

Judging by the look in Kakashi-sensei's visible eye, he had an idea of what was to come. I look away from him and fix my gaze onto my still-bruised hands, which were sitting in my lap folded together. "He got violent. He became vicious and he would lash out, telling me I wasn't worth anything or I was pathetic and I shouldn't be a ninja. That I wasn't good enough for it. And he hurt me. He would pull my hair, push me, cut me with kunai and choke me. I always got lucky and made it out. Sometimes he would suddenly realize in the middle of it who he was and what he was doing, sometimes Kazuo would save me, or sometimes I managed to talk my way out. No matter what he was always ashamed of himself and he begged for forgiveness. I gave it to him, too, because how could I not? He was my aniki, one of my idols even after all he had done. Anyway, the only permanent damage is this scar, from an episode when I was ten."

Naruto sucks in a shocked breath and grasps my hands in his. "Kimi-chan! I'm so sorry!"

"It's over now, Naruto," I tell him, offering him a somewhat shaky smile. I was trying to reassure him.

"Hey, dobe, let her get back to her story," Sasuke snaps irritably. Naruto makes a face at him, but he releases my hands and lets me get back to explaining.

"Anyway, I came home one day after going to the academy. It was a couple of weeks before we got our teams. And something was wrong. I went through the clan grounds. Nobody was outside. There was this weird smell in the air. I couldn't place it. I walked into my house and took my shoes off," I say. My voice has gotten quieter. I can feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I squeeze my hands together, my eyes still focused on them. "Then I walked into the living room. It was horrible. Blood covering the walls. Bits of bodies strewn about the place. Pools of blood. The smell of rotting skin because they had been sitting there for at least a few hours."

"And there was my brother. Masao. He was still alive, barely, so I ran through the blood of my clan to get to him. I kneeled next to him and begged him to live. Obviously, he didn't. He told me he loved me and asked me not to let hate control me. He died. I was covered in so much blood I couldn't think. I ran through Konoha to the Hokage tower, barefoot and drenched in blood. On the way there an ANBU saw me and took me there. I told them what happened and I got changed into clean clothes. The blood was still soaked into my skin and hair, though. I was kept at there for the night, and soon after they gave me an apartment." I look over at Sasuke. He's staring down at his feet, trying to keep himself composed. I know this part was really getting to him.

"Anyway," I continue, looking back down at my hands, "In the Forest of Death a lot of things happened. A man named Orochimaru did something to Naruto's stomach. He tried to bite Sasuke on the neck. Both of them lost consciousness. I was trying to take care of them as best I could when these three genin showed up. The ones from Oto. Sasuke and Naruto were still unconscious, so I had to face them alone. I was weak. Their leader Dosu told the other two to stay back. He wanted to kill me himself, he said. Initially they wanted to get directly to Sasuke, but after I mentioned Orochimaru's name they decided to get me first. That Zaku kid really wanted to do it himself, but Dosu told him no. I knew it would be hard because I hadn't eaten or slept since before the first exam, I had a headache and my body didn't want to listen." Kakashi-sensei is surprised at the name Orochimaru and looks like he's figured something out, but he just stays where he is and doesn't say a word. Sasuke seems to have composed himself more and Naruto is paying rapt attention, not uttering a single word or making a single movement.

"I knew that I was doomed unless something happened. I engaged him in battle for a few moments. We separated and he started talking with his team. I was crouched by the boys. I was exhausted, my ears were ringing and I was loosing too much blood. Then I realized something- I had a scroll. It was a summoning scroll. Kazuo gave it to me, telling me to only use it in the most dire and extreme of situations. 'A true emergency', he said. It was my only option. So I used it. Dosu was just about to attack again. I bit my thumb and spread blood over it. There was a loud bang and a lot of thick smoke. I saw two figures through it, not the Oto kids but new people."

"It was Daichi and Kazuo. They healed my wounds a bit and helped me fight them off. I demanded answers after it was all over. They pretty much only gave me a name," I tell them. I begin to go on and continue my story but I'm interrupted.

"What was the name?" Kakashi-sensei, having remained silent up until this point, asks. I look at him. He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees and his head supported by his hands. Overall, he looked completely unconcerned.

"The Akatsuki," I answer, and he seems to frown at this. I push on, "A criminal organization. They want my clan's kekkai genkai. And apparently, the departures of my brothers were planned. Massacre or not, Kazuo would have been gone. And Masao wasn't supposed to die there, either."

"I need to tell the Hokage this. Now, in fact. I'll come back later," Kakashi-sensei says, standing from his chair. He doesn't say goodbye to us or anything, just forms a hand sign and disappears in a small puff of smoke. The smoke makes me wheeze. My body protests with my movements, sending little shocks of pain up my entire body. I wince slightly and Naruto begins waving the smoke away from my face. A few moments later, after his efforts, the smoke disappears enough for me to breathe properly again. My body slowly relaxes and we sit in silence for a few moments before it's broken.

"Hey, Kimi-chan...what did you mean when you said all that stuff to Dosu?" Naruto asks, and I internally flinch. I was hoping they would forget about that. That information wasn't exactly something I wanted people to know, much less the people it was about. The only reason I said all of that stuff was because I was majorly disoriented and was pretty much out of it. But I know I can't dodge that question or ignore the subject. They deserved an explanation for this, too.

"Well...I was pissed off. I looked and saw Kakashi-sensei wasn't there, or anywhere in the arena watching me. That hurt, you know? Like he didn't care. So I told Dosu what I thought. What, honestly, I********still **** think. Like, Uchiha, you're powerful. You're probably the most talented genin in all of Konoha, maybe even more talented than any chunin, too. And you know that very well, so you're confident and cocky and you show off," I tell them, gesturing to Sasuke. Something was really wrong with me- I was ranting. I was giving more information than necessary. "And Naruto- you do stupid shit like painting the faces of the Hokages. You draw attention by doing crazy pranks and being loud. I'm quiet. I don't show off, I don't draw attention to myself, I normally don't talk at all." Mentally, I add that the 'normally' apparently was not applicable anymore. I was changing.

"So I blend into the background. People are inclined to just not pay attention to me. They underestimate my abilities because of my personality. Everyone does, even sensei sometimes," I finish, pointing to myself. I suppose that it wasn't my personality anymore. My****former**** personality.

"I...I'm sorry, Kimi-chan!" Naruto proclaims loudly. His big blue eyes are full of regret and shame, and I feel guilty for being so honest. I shouldn't have phrased it like that. A wave of pain drifts through my head at the noise, furthering my developing headache. It would likely end up as a migraine.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun. I don't want to talk about it right now. In fact, I'm feeling kind of sleepy..." I trail off, hoping they would get the message. I wanted to be alone right now. I needed to think, to sort all the stuff that's happened to me in the last couple of days out.

And Sasuke catches on. He presses his lips together in a flat line, and his black eyes flash with a bit of annoyance. "Okay, dobe, time to leave. She needs to sleep," he mutters, standing. He grabs Naruto's arm and drags him up, towards the door. Naruto's struggling the whole time, protesting about how he wanted to stay and talk to me more. As far as I'm concerned, I have done enough talking.

The door shuts heavily behind them, and I collapse against the sheets. My head was aching, the pain focused in the areas by my ears. I absentmindedly rub at my temples with my hands, attempting to push away the pain caused by the movements. I close my eyes and lower my hands, resorting to just willing the headache to go away by itself. Since it's not working, I try to focus on falling asleep. And it works.

~TMK~

The door opens and a head pokes through, the eyes carefully observing the sleeping form of the girl. She's breathing slowly, although a bit uneven, and he feels the briefest flash of concern before she twitches. Then he's leaving, closing the hospital door behind him. He'd bother her later.

~TMK~

TADA.  
>Hope you enjoyed:D please review, kiddies~<br>Sorry about Kimi's OOC-ness...it's only temporary!

REVIEW RESPONSES:

bored411- thank you:D the Kakashi thing won't be revealed now, sorry. Maybe next chapter? Lol(:

Chester-Grey- thanks! Yeah, sorry about that:/ That was pretty lame. I'll try not to let it happen again.

sheelbyyy- lol thanks:D it means a lot to get compliments. Here's your update! I'll try to get another one out soon.

acid-veins- thank you for reviewing! There's a little bit of their responses revealed in here, but for the main part it's in next chapter (for a reason!) so I'll be writing that up and posting it as soon as I can(:

warrioroftheravens- disorientation/dazed/threat of death, yup! That's pretty much why. And you'll see (eventually) why. And maybe~~ lol. It is, but Dosu didn't really quite get that lesson like he should've. Ahh, thank you:D

scarlet tribe- thanks(: To answer your questions about whether or not she wants to forget, yes. She does. It'll be expanded on more in-depth further on. Lol, my pleasure:D I love this story. I really enjoy writing it, though it does get frustrating sometimes. It's my first fanfic, so it means something special to me. And I like the fight scene too!

I say thank you a lot in review responses~~ oh well. I mean it. As a future note, I am not guaranteeing that any of my answers regarding the story itself, the plot, the characters or the character development is true or going to happen. Stuff changes, you know? And I can't just give away all my info. But I promise I try to be as truthful as possible:D Thank you all for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting, all of that stuff. I appreciate it!


	20. Chapter 20 Shame

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty. This entire chapter is told from the POVs of Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto. Not Kimi. I hope you enjoy it(: It's not very long. Memories will separate the different POVs. They (the POVs, and the memories) are unmarked for a reason ('cause I want you to figure it out, though it won't be hard to). Sorry if it annoys you. Song is 'Back Home' by Yellowcard, though it doesn't really fit. It was really hard to find a whole song that fit everyone's feelings, so I just chose an excerpt that kind of fit. Oh, and in this story Rin's not dead (plot reasons).

****DISCLAIMER:**** Can I stop doing this now? I don't own Naruto.  
><strong><strong>WARNINGS:<strong>**A lot of emo. No, seriously. A____lot___._

****Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.******  
><strong>_**_**This is what memories look like.**_**__  
><em>__This is what thoughts look like.___  
><em>__'This is what song lyrics look like.'__

~TMK~

_'___Sometimes I miss knowing___  
><em>__someone's there for me.'__

~TMK~

___**_**She looks so peaceful. Like a little doll.**_**_

___**_**Her black hair fanned out on the pillow around her. She was sleeping quietly, chest moving up and down with her slow, measured breathing. My heart aches painfully, knowing all that I had done to her and probably would do to her. It was hard to think that she still loved me, to some measure. I was a horrible person for all of my actions. I was a ninja, so it was to be expected to a certain extent. Not all of it. Not the violent moods she was the victim of.**_**_

___**_**I sigh softly and stand. I had been sitting on the bed next to her, but now I had to leave. I recieved a mission to go to the Mist for an assasination. It was solo and I probably would be gone for a month or two, depending on how long **_**__**_**it took to get the actual assasination done and if it went well or not. And I would hopefully be in a good mood when I got back.**_**_

~TMK~

She's peaceful.

Her face is marred with bruises and her body is covered in bandages but she still retains her doll-like elegance and grace. If it weren't for the slow rise and fall of her chest and the beeping of the machine hooked up to her, I would think she was dead. The fight with Dosu, both in the forest and the prelims, really took a toll on her. She wasn't in the best condition even before that, because of the intense mental stress pushed upon her. I wanted to protect her, to keep her from harm's way and to be what she needed.

And I had failed miserably. In all possible ways, I failed her.

I had one simple goal. Be a good sensei. I managed to screw up my single most important goal. I manage to mess everything up, like Obito's death and when Minato-sensei died. I wasn't there for Rin like I should have been, and I certainly wasn't there when she died. Because she couldn't stand to be around me after what happened to Obito. I messed up, he paid the consequence, and she realized me for who I was. I could have done better, could've worked harder and been there.

I lean back in my chair, pressing a hand to my forehead. I feel disappointment and shame crash over me. I rub my temple, feeling the impending headache. I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking of my past. Obito and Rin. Minato-sensei. My father. All gone, all passed on. My chest aches at the thoughts brought up. I needed to stay alert, to try and redeem myself; I figured if I started doing good enough, it would count for something when I passed on.

~TMK~

___**_**"You're not who I thought you'd be."**_**_

___**_**The voice is soft, but the words aren't. I flinch at hearing her say these words. I suppose this is a small portion of what my father felt; he was revered in the village, but then he fell from grace because of what he did. It was a miracle he lasted as long as he did. "I know," I whisper brokenly, swallowing hard.**_**_

___**_**"I'm requesting assignment to a different sect. Maybe hospital work or something," she continues, and I feel tears building up in my eyes. I didn't deserve anything better, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It hurt, hurt a lot. More than I ever imagined I was capable of feeling.**_**_

___**_**"I know," I whisper again, clenching my fists and drawing my knees to my chest. I sat on the edge of the Hokage mountain, right above the face of Minato-sensei. I looked pitiful, but I didn't care. All I could think about was Obito and Rin. Obito's death, Rin being ashamed of and hating me.**_**_

___**_**"I just thought you should hear it from me. Goodbye, Kakashi," she says. I turn to look at her. She's wearing her normal outfit and her brown hair flutters in the wind. Rin. Her brown eyes sparkle in the setting sun. For a brief moment, I think I see a fleeting bit of emotion- pity and regret. I probably just tricked myself into thinking I saw it, some sort of consolation for myself so maybe it wouldn't hurt me so much when she turned and finally, finally left.**_**_

___**_**It didn't work.**_**_

~TMK~

I turn mechanically onto my street, lost in thought. I knew before her brothers were dead or missing, but not her whole clan. It made me understand her a little bit better, though I wouldn't admit that to anyone, especially not to her. It reminded me of the bastard who ruined my life. I wonder why she wasn't like I was- angry. She probably didn't care much about her family, because with the way she spoke of them and the whole ordeal she seemed so...unconcerned. Apathetic. Uncaring. Like they didn't matter to her. Like the whole thing was normal, cut-and-dry.

If I were to be honest with myself, I hated her for that. For being able to just not care about what has happened, is happening, or will happen to others. I also wished I was like her in that aspect. It would be a blessing to have no emotion. But I wasn't like that. I had emotion, though really only three- fury, hatred, and sorrow. I felt fury and hatred to Itachi, for killing my family and becoming a traitor. I hated the fact I was alone all the time. I was sorrowful for the loss of my clan, except for Itachi. I wasn't so torn up about loosing him, more of loosing who I thought he was.

I remember Itachi defending me from my father. I remember him taking me for dango. I remember him letting me down gently, making promises of 'later' when he knew it wouldn't happen. I remember him so much, and it aches with pain in my chest everytime I did.

~TMK~

___**_**"Aniki! Aniki!" A bouncing child of five years bounds over to his older brother, chattering excitedly about his day. His older brother crouches down next to him and pokes him in his forehead. The child giggles and clings to his aniki's fingers. "Aniki! Can you play with me?" The small boy asks, dark eyes gleaming with hope. His brother almost never played with him, but it was always fun when he did.**_**_

___**_**"Otouto, I'm very sorry but I can't. I have to go on a mission," the older brother says carefully, choosing his words wisely. He loosely links his arms around his little otouto's waist to hold him in place, knowing what would happen. Sasuke would try to act as normal as possible and like he was fine. Of course, he would be looking down, biting his lip and trying to hold in tears at the same time. The tears would slip out and Sasuke would try even harder. "Perhaps after I return we can. I'll ask for a day off."**_**_

___**_**"Okay, Itachi-nii," the small boy mumbles, eyes downcast. He bites his lip, trying to hold in his tears of disappointment. Tou-san told him not to cry, because ninjas didn't cry. Ever. Even so, he felt a warm tear trickle down his chin and he bites down on his lip even harder. He tastes the coppery warmth of blood in his mouth and his shoulders shake with the force of his withheld sobs. **_**_

___**_**"Otouto, I promise," Itachi says, tilting his little brother's chin up. Sasuke's onyx eyes met those of his brother's, and Itachi gives him a small, reassuring smile. Sasuke smiles back at his brother through his tears, his small face lighting up happily. His nii-san almost never smiled, so when he did and it was directed towards him it always made him feel better.**_**_

___**_**"Okay, Aniki!" Sasuke chirps, grinning. He loved his nii-san.**_**_

~TMK~

One of the few people who was never unkind, never hated me for being who I was, and I managed to make her unhappy.

I sit on my bed in the dark, knees pulled up to my chest and head hanging low. I can hear sounds of the village outside. There was some sort of party happening at the bar across the street, and civilians poured in, laughing and talking and cheering and just being happy because they had nothing to worry about. I sigh heavily and stretch out, laying on my back and staring up at the ceiling. There was a mold spot on the ceiling, but I don't mind. This apartment was the best I had been in so far.

People grafittied the door at least once a week. The landlord sometimes jacked up the rent or cut the plumbing or electricity. The heat for my apartment always had 'something wrong' with it in the winter and it never worked. It was barely big enough for me to live in. There was a family of mice living in the walls, and on occasion I found a cockroach in the bathtub. I had to lug my laundry almost five miles away because I wasn't allowed to use the laundromat on the first floor.

Still, I was grateful for it because at least I wasn't thrown out. I was grateful for what I did have, because I knew I could have a lot less. Iruka-sensei took me out for ramen every week, Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke and Kimi-chan didn't care that I was an orphan or anything. Teuchi-san and Ayame-san served me as much ramen as I could pay for, or get someone else to pay for, and they didn't spit in it or use anything rotten. Iruka-sensei sometimes shopped for me because the people in the market place would only give me rotten or spoiled things.

And I felt panicky and depressed, because I was in danger of losing one of the only people who didn't hate me. Kimi-chan wasn't exactly friendly when we met, but she wasn't mean. She was indifferent, and that was perfectly fine with me.

~TMK~

**____****__**"STAY OUT!"**__**

******__**A small child is thrown to the ground in the middle of the street, out amidst the people. They give him a wide berth, making sure to stay at least three feet away from him. He lifts himself up to his knees, ignoring their whispers accusing him of harsh things. All he did was try to buy a carton of milk, but the man working accused him of trying stealing and literally threw the eight year old out. The blonde didn't understand why people hated him so much.**__**

******__**"Here," a voice says, and a hand is thrust in his face. It's pale, small, and a girl's. He looks up at the person who was offering it, and he recognized it. It was a girl he went to the academy with. She was in his class and she was one of the smartest people in it, even smarter than that Sasuke-teme. "Take the hand," she says, frowning at him.**__**

******__**He grabs it without thinking about why she wanted him to. Soon enough, he finds out. She yanks hard on it, pulling him up to his feet. Once he's standing she drops it and turns on her heel, walking away to an teenager with a hitae-ate and vest. He has the same color hair as her. Probably her brother. Naruto watches her walk away. When she's almost to him, he regains what little manners he had and calls out after her, "Thank you!"**__**

******__**She pauses slightly, turning her head to look over her shoulder at him. Her face is expressionless. "You're welcome," she says, looking back to the front and walking to her brother. When she reaches him she links hands with him and they walk away.**__**

~TMK~

******__**A lone breath is exhaled.**__**

******__**My pale hand traces her smooth skin. It was cool to the touch. The small form doesn't stir, and I pause to absorb this moment. She's so still. So innocent. I knew what I would soon do would break her heart. I hated knowing that, but it didn't change anything. I would do it the same if I ever got the opportunity. I would do it over and over, again and again, because of the end result. It would save her. I would be risking a lot, including my life, and I wouldn't get to return back here for years, if ever. But I would do it the same.**__**

~TMK~

TADA. And the chapter is over. Sorry about how short it is:/ and it's written in a weird way, too. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review! Thank you to everyone who reviews, favorites, and follows! And thank you to everyone for reading!

None of memories are by the same person, by the way.

REVIEWS RESPONSES-  
>Jinxed just in Time- Aww thanks(: I will be! As soon as I can. And it's okay(:<p>

bored411- All in good time:D I'll try to. Sorry about the late-ish update. And same here, it's a really good song. Probably one of my favorites.

rainfurr26- Yes! (: I don't have the heart to kill her.


	21. Chapter 21 Clan Grounds

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to the twenty-first chapter of 'The Memory Keeper'. I've begun to develop writer's block, so I apologize for any late updates that may occur. Plus, I start school in two weeks and I'll be extremely stressed because of that): Personally, I think this chapter sucks but I guess you guys will be the judge of that. This hasn't been edited. The song is 'The Last Something That Meant Anything' by Mayday Parade, though it doesn't have much to do with this chapter. Please enjoy:D

**DISCLAIMER:** Really now. Do you believe, after all these chapters, that I now own Naruto? No. Sorry.  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Eh, some angst. What else?

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
><em><strong>This is what memories look like.<strong>_  
><em>This is what Kimi's thoughts look like.<em>  
><em>'This is what song lyrics look like.' <em>

~TMK~

_'I'll be okay-_  
><em>Is that what<em>  
><em>you want me<em>  
><em>to say?'<em>

~TMK~

I feel eyes on me as I exit Kimi's hospital room. I needed to go home and get to sleep so I could help Sasuke train tomorrow. Kimi had been out for two days straight after the exams, so I had spent all the time I could at her bedside. I knew Sasuke was getting antsy about training, so I needed to go ahead and start with him. I also needed to figure out what to do with Kimi. Who would train her? I had a few ideas, but they weren't very solid. I wanted to train her myself, but I was ordered to focus upon Sasuke and send my other genin to a different sensei. So I was.

"Excuse me, sir, but visiting-" I whirl around to face the person speaking, and my heart aches in my chest when I see who it is. "Oh," she says.

Rin.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving. Really," I promise, barely maintaining my already shaky composure. She looks so much more grown up. Her brown hair brushes mere inches past her shoulders. She's taller, her figure more womanly. She wore more normal clothing, though she still clearly worked at the hospital. She had clothes on similar to the ones she used to wear, back before we stopped working together.

"K-Kakashi?" she asks, seeming bewildered. Her brown eyes are wide with surprise.

I nod, affirming her fears. "Hai," I murmur, glancing down to my feet. There's a moment of silence, and I feel my shoulders slacken with disappointment at each second that passes. It was too much to expect her to forgive me, I know, but it still hurt. Without another word, I turn around, heading back towards the hospital exit. I really needed to go.

-KIMI'S POV-

Three days later, after the broken bones were healed and my wounds closed, I was released from the hospital. Kakashi-sensei had been there the same day, which is when he told me that he wouldn't be able to train me or anything. He told me he was making arrangements to find someone else to train me, but I wasn't sure if I believed him or not.

A few days after my discharge, with no word from Kakashi-sensei, I decide to head to the clan grounds and look around like my brother suggested. I had already trained for the first half of the day, and the dull ache of my wounds was steadily increasing and becoming much more acute. So I went back to my apartment to shower, change into a fresh set of clothes (seeing as my current pair was covered in mud, sweat and a bit of blood that leaked through a wound that re-opened) and eat lunch.

By the time I was finished with all of that, it was nearing two o'clock. I slip out of my apartment after sliding my sandals on, wearing casual clothes. My casual clothes consisted of a form fitting black tank top, a looser, shoulder length fishnet top over that, my standard pair of gloves, a pair of black shorts and my normal shinobi sandals.

I travel on the rooftops towards my clan grounds. I didn't know what sort of state it would be in. There wouldn't be any of the bodies, I knew that, but would the blood stained carpet still be there? Would the doors have been removed and/or replaced, or would the bloodied doors from before remain? I didn't know, but I would find out soon.

I land on the ground gracefully, right before the wooden gates leading into the clan grounds. The clan grounds were pretty simple, because the clan was never big, not like the Uchihas had been. No, they were much smaller. I walk past each building slowly, soaking in the changes. There were two family run shops in the very front. Beyond them was the courtyard composed of a fountain and the garden. The small but beautiful fountain sat in the middle, surrounded by the garden. The garden was perfectly maintained by my mother and my aunts, up until the massacre. It was colorful, gorgeous, the flowers only interrupted by the polished stone path that lead to the center, the fountain. On the left of the clan grounds were three of the housing buildings for the clan, where a portion of the branch members lived. On the right, another three buildings sat. Two of them were reserved for the branch members, too, and the third served as the clan's meeting place.

And, directly ahead, sat the main house. It was three stories tall, compared to the two floors in the branch houses. The top floor housed the room of my parents, a bathroom, my father's office, and a small, personal library meant only for the use of my mother and father. The second floor was mainly bedrooms, though it had a bathroom, too. Each of us kids got our own rooms, so there was four bedrooms and a single bathroom. The main floor was made up of the kitchen, the living room, the main library (available to any of the clan members who wanted to use it) and the dining room.

In my clan, there was no prejudice between the branches. Everyone was treated the same, no matter where they were from. When I was younger, I remember playing with my cousin from the branch family, Chihiro. She had the prettiest eyes I had ever seen, with the exception of my mother's. She was a few years older than me, nine when I was only seven. She died in the massacre.

The main family's house was my destination first, and if I had any more time I would explore the branch houses too. The main house was my priority for now, though.

The first room I go to is Kazuo's. I don't find much in there, because he took most of his things with him. His sheets are still on his bed, having developed a thin layer of dust. The only thing besides his bed and desk that are in there is a few kunai and a cardboard box. I use the cardboard box to assist me in extracting things out of my home. After a second of thought I toss the kunai in the box and move on to the next room.

Masao's room has much more stuff. His things have the same layer of dust over them. The first things my eyes fall upon is his bed. His sheets are in perfect place, like always. A half finished mission scroll sits open on his desk. And his flak jacket, the one he always wore, was laying upon his bed. I put the box I was carrying down and kneel in front of his bed, smoothing my hands over the familiar fabric. I press my nose to it. It smells just like him- cinnamon. I pull away from it when I feel tears begin to prick at the corners of my eyes.

Without another glance at it I place it in the box, standing to move on and continue the search. Searching through his closet, I find a box full of weapons. Kunai, shuriken, senbon, summoning scrolls and others fill the box. I sort carefully through it all, and make the command decision to just take that box too, taking the kunai I got from Kazuo's room and toss them in the weapons box. Then I drag both out of the room and leave them in the hallway. I already knew what I wanted to get from my own room.

A brief trip to my room, resulting in the gathering of several pairs of clothes, my extra weapons, supplies and other little things, and then I'm heading up the stairs to the rooms of my parents. I didn't exactly want anything particularly, just a memento or something to remind me of them. When I step inside, the tears spring back up into my eyes. On my mother's bed laid a pair of her clothes. She was probably about to go shopping or something. I step forward to examine them. Her skirt, her jonin vest, her mesh shirt and black undershirt. And one key item, the thing I knew would give me a constant reminder. I pick it up from the bed, ignoring the dust clinging to it.

Her red sash. It was silk, the color of blood. She wore it all the time, knotted around her waist and brushing across her legs with the sway of her walk. My father gave it to her for one of their anniversaries, back in the very beginning of their marriage. She loved it, and wore it all the time. Even with its age, the color hadn't faded. Yes, I was definitely taking it with me.

A sweep of the room reveals even more weapons, clothes, personal mementos of my parents. Another item stands out, a picture sitting on my father's bedside table. It's a family picture, one of the entire family. Every single year, on the same exact day, we had a photo taken of the entire clan. March 20th, a week after my birthday. Two weeks from now. I can't take much more in searching; too many memories were building up. I could already feel the tears ready to fall. I promise myself- just one more room. The library of my parents.

The library wields several scrolls, some containing jutsus and some summoning different things. Upon seeing the sacred clan scroll, containing some of our best jutsus, I go to that immediately and unravel it. It wouldn't have the ones I needed most- those regarding memories- but it likely had some ninjutsu that would be useful. I put it into the steadily filling box and grab a few other random scrolls, rushing through it and not even looking at what they contained.

I stack the box of random items on top of the weapons box and take to the roof tops, making my way back to my apartment. I land carefully on the concrete railing of the walkway in front of my door. I set the boxes on the ground and jump down, landing carefully on my feet and ignoring the little jolt I felt from my landing. I unlock my apartment and nudge the door open with my foot, pulling in the two boxes behind me. I lock the door and place the key on my dresser.

I collapse onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was 4:30 in the afternoon, and I could already feel the fatigue settling over me. I had trained a lot, practicing first my aim with kunai, shuriken and senbon and then moving on to practicing my taijutsu on one of the training dummies. And then I tried my hand at the jutsu Kakashi-sensei tried to teach me. My hand crackled and glowed with lightning, almost half of the power of Kakashi-sensei's Raikiri, but then the effects dissipated. Much to my disappointment, I was too drained of chakra to do any more of it.

I would keep trying and trying until I got it down. I didn't care how long it took, I would push myself until I could form a full, complete, powerful Raikiri and had enough chakra to do at least two. My only hope was that I would be able to do it soon.

~TMK~

TA-DA.

Sorry about the horrible ending and how long it took me to get this chapter up. Like I said at the top, I have been experiencing writer's block. Sorry again): Please review, kiddies!

REVIEW RESPONSES:

Chester-Grey: Yeah, it was kinda weird for me to write it like that. I'm glad you liked it:D lol, I'm not surprised that no one has really figured out who the last memory was from. Thanks for reviewing!

bored411: It was supposed to be confusing, lol:P thanks for reviewing consistently! And Yellowcard is my favorite band ever~ (I'm sure I mentioned that somewhere in an author's note). I pretty much idolize them.

E: Will do(: thanks for reviewing!


	22. Chapter 22 Seventy Two

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty two. I apologize, again, about slow updates. I've started school (sophmore), so they might become even slower than they are now. Sorry): I will eventually upload, though, so don't worry about that! Anyway, let's get on with the chapter. And I know, some time skipping/skipping around occurs. I don't feel bad about it, especially because the time skip is retold through memories. I haven't watched this part in the show or read it in the manga for a while, so it might be inconsistent. Song is 'Scared' by Three Days Grace.

**DISCLAIMER:** I have nothing, but am looking for my sanity. If found, please return.  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Blood-guts-cussing-Tsukuyomi.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
><strong><em>This is what memories look like.<em>**  
><em>This is what thoughts look like.<em>  
><em>'This is what lyrics look like.' <em>

~TMK~

_ 'I wish you never told me,_  
><em>I wish I never knew.<em>  
><em>I wake up screaming,<em>  
><em>It's all because of you.' <em>

~TMK~

**_"Forfeit."_**

**_ The words are quiet. Everyone seems surprised as the words exit my mouth. Naruto looks surprised. I imagine that Kakashi-sensei would have been surprised, if he had even shown up. I figured he was still training Sasuke, too busy to do anything else. Like find someone suitable to train me, or to even show up at one of the most important fights of two of his students. I feel my heart beat heavily in my chest as I turn on my heel and head back up into the arena seating._**

**_ The rounds continue. Naruto fights Neji. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei have failed to show up, once again. Shino wins automatically against Kankuro, because Kankuro forfeited just like I did. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei still aren't there, so Temari and Shikamaru are pitted together. About halfway through their match finds me sitting up the stands, elbows on my knees and watching in half-hearted interest. I scan the field, figuring out what Shikamaru's intentions were. He would capture her in his shadow jutsu and-_**

**_ "Kioku Kimiko?"_**

**_ A dark shadow falls over me. I look up, standing immediately when I realize who it is. Morino Ibiki, head of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force. Why was he talking to me? "Hai, Morino-sama?" I ask._**

**_ "Follow me," he says, promptly turning on his heel and walking away. I glance at Naruto, who's frowning. He gives me a questioning look and he whispers to me, wanting to know what was going on. I whisper back to him, telling him I don't know, before following after Ibiki. I follow Ibiki deep into the maze of the arena, twisting and turning down the hallways without a sound. He doesn't say anything, so I keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to anger him._**

**_ After five minutes of walking through the lower hallways of the arena, Ibiki stops in front of a door. I come to a stand still behind him. My hands hang at my sides. He withdraws a key from a pocket in his trench coat and uses it to unlock the door. He holds the door wide open, like he's gesturing for me to go in. Without a moment of hesitation I step inside, making sure to move out of the doorway so he could easily enter, too. The room is bare, except for a metal table and two metal chairs on either side of the chair. He waves his hand at one chair and takes a seat in the other. I follow his actions and sit down._**

**_ He watches me with his coal black eyes, examining every inch of me. I keep my face impassive and carefully controlled, unwilling to show any emotion to him. After a few minutes of this, he leans back in his chair, one hand going up to support his chin. "You forfeited."_**

**_ "Hai." My words are crisp, short. He liked to get people to give away information. He picked them apart in subtle ways, ways that the victims weren't even aware of. I wouldn't succumb to it- I'd only give the information I wanted to give._**

**_ "Why? You could have won," he tells me. He's pushing the subject, inquiring further and wanting me to talk._**

**_ I shrug. "Does it matter? I don't wish to be chunin."_**

**_ His eyes narrow. "Why not?"_**

**_ "What would I do as chunin? I don't get why I should." I shake my head, leaning back a bit in my chair. "I don't understand why you care, either. It's not like I'm a big deal or anything."_**

**_ He lets out a short bark of laughter. "To the point," he says, continuing on, "Firstly, you don't necessarily have to win the third round to become a chunin. You get through the first two rounds and if you display the proper capabilities you can still get promoted. So it doesn't matter that you forfeited. Secondly, and you are not to give anyone this information until all promotions are announced, you will be promoted to chunin due to the display of your control of lightning and ability to summon that much chakra, especially since it was charged with lightning. And, thirdly, to answer your inquiry as to why I care, the Konohagakure Torture and Intelligence Force is looking to increase its members. And you are the perfect choice."_**

**_ If I had lacked self-control, my eyebrows would have raised and my mouth dropped open. But, since I did, I remain expressionless. "Why me? Why am I the 'perfect choice'?"_**

**_ "Your ability to read people. It's not fully developed and you have room to improve, but it's there and it's the best I've seen in someone your age. Your potential in the field of torture and interrogation is vast. You can tap into another's emotions, intentions, memories, their minds. I would even go so far as to say you could exceed even me, given proper time and guidance in honing your skills," Ibiki says. "The training would be intensive and take a couple of months, so you would be separated from your team mates for a while. And you would still be on the active roster for missions, though the chance of receiving one isn't as high as it would be if you weren't a member of the team."_**

**_ "I accept," I tell him. This was step one in proving myself. I didn't need to think much about it. Ibiki nods in approval, standing. He motions for me to stand and I follow him to the door. He opens it and I step through, quickly followed by him. _**

**_ "Your training will begin within a month. Until then, enjoy your time as best you can. We will be in contact," he informs me. I nod at him, and after giving me one last searching glance, he disappears from sight._**

**_ I played a brief part in the invasion of Konoha by Suna._**

**_ I do my best to stop Temari and Kankuro, I really do. But I have my flaws and weak spots just like everyone else does. Kankuro pinned me down with a puppet. I could feel the metal blade jutting out from the puppet's wooden arm pressing against my skin, drawing a line of blood. I was in a tight position and needed help that I knew wasn't coming. Kankuro gives me one last smirk- full of malice- and with a simple flick of his wrist my world fades away. The malevolent look on his face is the last thing I see._**

~TMK~

_** "You're what?!" Naruto exclaims.**_

_** "Joining the torture and interrogation force," I explain again. "Ibiki pulled me aside and offered me the position. Told me that I'd be amazing at it. So I accepted."**_

_** His blue eyes are wide and watering. I frown at the look on his face- it wasn't like he would never be seeing me again. I wasn't abandoning him. "B-but-" he mumbles under his breath.**_

_** I take pity on him. "Listen, Naruto-kun, please understand that in no way, shape or form am I abandoning you. I will still see you, still train with you and hang out with you whenever possible. But this is a big opportunity for me. I can't refuse it," I tell him. Great, he had grown on me- I could feel the guilt twisting inside of my stomach, gnawing its way out. He looks so painfully upset. I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste coppery blood.**_

_** "Have you told Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-teme?" He asks, biting his lip. His shoulders jerk like he's going to cry. It makes me feel infinitely worse. I nod, unwilling to speak. He looks at his feet and the moments pass, slipping between my fingers. I look off into the distance- the sun was setting, streaking the sky with purples, pinks, reds, oranges, blues. Sort of like a rainbow.**_

_** "Do you want to train together tomorrow?" I ask. I don't let any hope into my voice. He nods once, head still down. I nod even though I know he can't see me. "Well, I have to go. Meet me at the training grounds around noon, okay? And Naruto-kun, I'm sorry."**_

_** He looks up at me, searching me for any sign of insincerity. When he seems satisfied I'm telling the truth about not only training with him, but being sorry, he smiles brightly at me. "Okay, Kimi-chan 'ttebayo!"**_

_** If only I knew that training wouldn't be happening.**_

~TMK~

_**The sun beats down on my back. I feel the sweat trailing down my skin and I push my legs to move faster, quicker, so maybe I would be able to reach them in time. I happened to get lucky when I made the discovery that two members of the Akatsuki were in Konoha. I followed Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei to the edge of Konoha, where they were confronting the Akatsuki. I knew it was silly, I knew it was highly unlikely I would get any results, but I had to try.**_

_** There. On the water. Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei. Their eyes are closed, squeezed shut. I wonder why? I look further out onto the water. And there the Akatsuki members were- one shorter, smaller, one figure massive with a large sword on his back. I look up, up, to their faces- and I capture the blood red eyes of Uchiha Itachi. My knees give way and my world fades.**_

~TMK~

**_ Tsukuyomi. Uchiha Itachi captured me._**

**_ The blade pierces my skin, burying itself into my stomach, thousands of times over and over again. I scream as loud as I can manage. The air burns in my lungs. My body falls limp against the restraints. This was the worst torture I could ever imagine. Itachi's chuckle rings low in my ears, seeming to pull out what little energy I have left. Seventy one hours, fifty nine minutes and fifty five seconds to go._**

~TMK~

TADA.

I hope this was good~ I once more apologize about how long it took to get this chapter out. If I am very, _very _lucky, I will be able to get another two chapters out to make up for it. Please don't count on it, though! And please, please, PLEASE review! thank you, kiddies

By the way, I have come up with an idea for a third fic. It's drama-filled already, and I haven't actually typed a single word. I won't be publishing it until this story is done, though, which should be in ten to fifteen chapters. Just depends:P


	23. Chapter 23 Kioku Masao

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty three, relatively short and to the intended point. It's mostly Kimi's time in the Tsukuyomi. There are a few different bits mixed in, that of the different POVs included. Those are the POVs of Kakashi's, Sasu-chan's and Naruto's. And a little bit of Ibiki. The song is 'Louder Than Thunder' by The Devil Wears Prada.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto, though I wish I did.  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Um, kind of weird. Angsty? Cussing, blood, strange things.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
><strong><em>This is what memories look like.<em>**  
><em>This is what thoughts look like.<em>  
><em>'This is what song lyrics look like.' <em>

SIDE NOTE: I am in a horrible mood right now, and I foresee it will not be getting any better. So my writing will be affected.

~TMK~

_'What would it take  
>for things to be quiet?<em>  
><em>Quiet like the snow.<em>  
><em>I know this isn't much<em>  
><em>But I know I could,<em>  
><em>I could be better.' <em>

~TMK~

**_I am drowning in blood._**

**_ My blood. The blood of my family, my clan. They were dead, but I couldn't remember their names. I couldn't even remember my name. All I know is that they're all dead and gone, and I'm here. And that blood- visceral. It's hot and bright against my skin, soaking in and staining everything until it's all I can see. I'm not dead, but I should be. No one should be alive after that. No one._**

**_ So where am I? Just floating? I don't know much right now. For once in my life, I find myself unable to remember what I want to. Where I was, where I have been, where I am supposed to be, my own name... Nameless faces drift across my mind, all drenched in blood. A man with black hair and blue eyes, crouching down beside me. He smiles brightly, eyes crinkling up with age. He laughs, ruffling my hair with his hand. Who was he? His face twists, breaks, morphing into something else. Someone laying face down in crackling water. Dead. And him? Did I do that to him?_**

**_ I feel a low pang in my chest, separate from the rest of the agony coursing through me. Another face appears, this one with a mask and orange book and a lazy smile in his onyx eye. I feel something beyond physical pain- like my heart was bruised. Emotional pain. I search desperately for any lingering memory, something to ground myself with. Hysteria mounts in my chest when it dawns on me that there was nothing left for me to have. It was all gone, drifting away into the bloody sky._**

-KAKASHI'S POV-

My heart thumps against my chest when I hear the all-too familiar thud of a body hitting the ground.

The second they leave, claiming they were really only there for reconnaissance, I move to find out who it was. I twist on my heel, causing ripples in the water. I pay no mind to them and send chakra into my feet. I gather my muscles beneath me and jump, landing on the bridge. I don't have to look long to find the crumpled body of one of my students.

_ Kimi._

My heart flies into my throat and the first word from my mouth is, "No." I scoop her up into my arms. Her head lolls back and her body is limp. She feels too thin, too small. I swallow heavily. I needed to get her to a hospital. I couldn't loose another person, not like this. No. No. No.

~TMK~

**_Why isn't someone trying to get me out of this? Or could I even get out? I have so many questions and no answers for them. I just want to know why I'm here. Why did I have to go through Tsukuyomi? Why?_**

~TMK~

"Tsunade-baa-chan! We need you in Konoha!"

"Okay, gaki, listen to me. Firstly, dammit, stop calling me that! Secondly, I have a proposition for you. I will not return to Konoha and become Hokage, but I will consent to healing your little friend if you can master Rasengan and beat me in a fight. So, how about it? Deal?"

"DEAL!"

~TMK~

_** It's not easy for me to move. Nothing is easy anymore. **_

_** I'm laying flat on my back, staring up at the sky. It's crimson, with a black moon hanging overhead. I lift my arm up, tracing the shape with my fingertips. My arm drops back to my side. I felt lost. Hopeless. I'm trying to fight against the feeling, as hard as I can. Somewhere, something in the back of my mind told me that I was rapidly loosing myself, and that it was something I couldn't let happen. But how am I supposed to hold onto myself if I can't remember?**_

_** Suddenly, a memory hits me like a sledge hammer. A blonde boy stands before me, wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit. He grins at me, giving me a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Kimi-chan! I'm gonna be Hokage, 'ttebayo! Believe it!" It fades away and I open my eyes. Was I Kimi? I think so. Now, I had a start- my name and four different faces. There was the older man with black hair, the one who was face down and probably dead, the man with gravity-defying silver hair, and the enthusiastic blonde. If I could acquire that information, couldn't I get more? I hoped so. But for now, I had to get out.**_

-SASU-CHAN'S POV-

It isn't so hard for me to believe that Itachi would do that.

In fact, it would be strange if he didn't. Spending the first seven years of my life around him and then getting to see what he was really, honestly like, completely changed my view of him. He was a cold, manipulative asshole. A horrible person, one who's life was my goal to end.

And I know that the only way to do that was to hate. But it wasn't always easy to hate. Especially not when I was looking down at the limp body of my team mate. The female team mate who wasn't a fan girl, one who made it clear she didn't find me attractive and did not want to be with me. That gained a little bit of my respect, or at least the acknowledgement she wasn't a bumbling idiot. Now, that didn't necessarily mean she wasn't weak. She wasn't worthless either, just not worth much.

So why was she having this effect on me? I didn't hate her as much as I should. I wanted to hate her with all I had, just as much as I hated the dobe, as much as I hated Itachi. But why couldn't I bring forth that hate, make it real? I don't know. I just want it to stop.

~TMK~

_**I was walking. I summoned that strength up.**_

_**At least I was moving, I tell myself. And I have recovered four faces, three names, and a title. The names were Kimi, Sasuke, and Gaara. The title was 'Five Pronged Sealing'. I wasn't sure what it was. Possibly a jutsu? It didn't matter much now. I needed to keep moving and stop dwelling upon unimportant things.**_

_** Tsukuyomi seemed to stretch on for miles. There were no trees or plants or even solid ground. The ground swayed slightly with each of my steps, trembling beneath my feet like gel. It felt like I had been walking on for miles upon miles but not really moving anywhere. Still, I march on. I was afraid of what would happen if I just let myself waste away. This was only a genjutsu, but who knew what was happening to my body outside of the illusion? I very well could have been captured by the enemy. So I needed to get out. Perhaps summon enough chakra to shatter it, or simply weasel my way out. As long as I got out.**_

-IBIKI'S POV-

She was strong.

That was clear. Her health wasn't the best physically, but she was one of the most mentally fortified people I had ever come across. Sound of mind. I suppose that was the right way to describe it. Sure, she was unconscious from the Tsukuyomi. But I could just tell she was trying to fight it. It might take a while, but she was fighting. She lost herself in the horrors of Tsukuyomi, worked to begin orienting herself and was now struggling to break free of the illusion. I smirk down at her form. She could take care of herself.

~TMK~

_** One of the only memories I could willingly recall was that of my time spent in the Tsukuyomi with Uchiha Itachi.**_

_** I couldn't help but run this over in my head. I wasn't able to recall who he was, just his name and face. Did I know him, too? Was he dead or alive? Was he one of my friends or an enemy? I'm guessing an enemy, because what sort of friend would do this? He told me about someone when he was stabbing me over and over again with the katana. I remember, when I heard him speak the name, feeling absolutely crushed. Like my heart was shattered and my spirit gone. Why? I don't know. It seemed like such a simple name- Kioku Masao.**_

-KAKASHI'S POV-

The air in the hospital room is tense.

There are eight people, in total, gathered within the room. There is Tsunade, Shizune, Sasuke, Naruto, Ibiki, myself, and the lone ANBU in the corner. The ANBU's eyes flicker behind the mask, watching the scene carefully. Tsunade's hands hover over the eighth person (this one unconscious upon the hospital bed), glowing faintly with green chakra. Taking note of the discrepancies, all that had been done to her. She frowned when her hands passed over Kimi's head. That worries me, though I do my best to have faith in Tsunade-sama's abilities. She was the most renowned medical ninja in all of the countries, she could surely eliminate Tsukuyomi's effects.

Tsunade-sama leans back, eyes glued to Kimi's face. She delivers her observations swifly, mercifully. "She is scarred mentally, beyond all I've seen. However, amazingly enough, she is fighting against it. The mental damage will last, but I can heal the bulk of it and rouse her from her state of unconsciousness."

Naruto is visibly relieved. I let out a small, reassured sigh. So, for the most part, she would be okay. That was better news than what I was expecting. And I could finally sleep well.

~TMK~

TA-DA.

The end. I apologize for how short it is, but I'll work on lengthening the chapters. Writing has been so hard for me lately, especially with all that I've been going through. I'm sorry ): I hope you enjoyed it. Please review? I'll love you forever and ever~ 3

REVIEW RESPONSES (I forgot to do them in the last chap, gomen! I'm gonna do those here!)

Chapter 21-

Starrie Wolfie- Arigato~ thank you so very much for your kind words. It makes me overjoyed to hear that! 3 I really appreciate it :D

Chapter 22-

Emzy2k11- ty :D I'm doing my best to get the chaps out when they need to be!

bored411- gomen for the delay T/.\T writing has been getting harder for me! But please know that it means so much to me, the consistent reviews and positive feedback. I love to read them 3 I'm sorry for the confusion, but I felt I was staying too long on the chunin exam arc and needed to get a move on with the plot, so I didn't get completely bored writing it and the readers got bored reading the chapters. I'll try to make up for it, and I'll try to go back and edit it so it makes more sense.

To all who read this/favorite/follow/review-

ARIGATO~ ! 3 ja ne!


	24. Chapter 24 Erosion of Sanity

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty four of 'The Memory Keeper'. There will be, at most, six or seven chapters left before I finish with this story. The end is drawing much, much closer than I ever thought it would be. I was under the impression that I would never finish this story, 'cause I drag so much on some unimportant things. I have a question for you guys- do I describe the wrong moments and skip description on the events I shouldn't (Example: how I skipped around in the latter part of the Chunin exams, and the Invasion of Konoha arc)? Please, let me know. I do know I will be going back and doing a lot of editing to the entire story. I feel like I've been failing you guys in regards to the quality of this story. So I'm sorry T/.\T Anyway, on with the chapter! Please enjoy it (: I tried to make it long. I hope I succeeded! The song is 'Paige and 14th' by Avion Roe. I know there's a lot of them (the lyrics) but I love this song oh so very much 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto or Avion Roe T/.\T  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Cussing, drama, a surprise.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
><strong>**_This is what memories look like._**  
><em>This is what thoughts look like.<em>  
><em>'This is what song lyrics look like.'<em>

~TMK~

_'I'm set being on my own_  
><em>Til I harm myself, til my legs unfold.<em>  
><em>I could never leave my mind.<em>  
><em>The memories are all behind and you<em>  
><em>you know I tried.<em>  
><em>You could never change my mind.<em>  
><em>The air was cold when I lost myself.<em>  
><em>I'm just like you, but I'm<em>  
><em>someone else and I know<em>  
><em>(No matter what)<em>  
><em>I know<em>  
><em>(No matter what)<em>  
><em>And all the bright light I've been in was<em>  
><em>The worth, I'd do it all again. And I know<em>  
><em>(No matter what)<em>  
><em>I know<em>  
><em>(No matter what)<em>  
><em>I've set everything away<em>  
><em>And we harm ourselves, we throw away.<em>  
><em>Well if I ever leave my mind<em>  
><em>The memories will fade away in time<em>  
><em>You know I try, know I tried<em>  
><em>Don't change my mind.' <em>

~TMK~

I can only describe waking from Tsukuyomi as the following.

Like drowning. Like being pulled from an exorcism. Like dying a hundred times over. Like having my heart pulled from my chest. Like swallowing broken glass. Like the thundering feeling in my head when Zaku was holding me down, choking me, fully intent upon killing me right then and there. One moment I'm wandering over the broken black plains, drifting aimlessly around. The next it feels as if there's a cable chord attached to my heart, pulling me up with all of its force. But I wasn't moving- at least, not physically. I could feel liquid bubbling up my throat, pooling in my mouth and spilling down over my cheeks. Blood? No, it felt more like water. Or was it something else? I wasn't sure. It could have been blood for all I knew, or maybe something impossible like my soul. It didn't matter much, either. The chord's pull only intensifies, dragging up further and further. Pulling my soul up through my throat, out of my mouth, into the blood sky.

I can't breathe. The world goes black, and I finally believe that I am dying. I am dead, gone, dying inside of Tsukuyomi, the nightmare realm. The enemies were finally ending it all for me- or maybe it was someone on my side. They realized there was no way in hell I'd be fixed, and I was far from breaking out myself. So it was game over. I would be traveling to heaven, or maybe hell if my suspicions were right and it was the kid face-down in the crackling, smoking water who died at my hands. Because that made sense, didn't it? Why else would that image be burned into my brain if it wasn't important, and if it wasn't me who killed them?

So that sealed it. Great, just fucking great. I would be burning in hell for all eternity. At least it would be better than being caught in Tsu- "What the fuck?!" My brain is flooded with memories. All the times before. Massacre of the clan, meeting my team, the first real mission, the Chunin exams, talking with Ibiki, the invasion of Konoha, and then, finally- Tsukuyomi. With Itachi. His words, spoken so easily with that Kami damned expression on his face. The blank, entirely disinterested look.

_ 'Kioku Masao...what a useful addition to the Akatsuki. He certainly pulls his weight.'_

And then the impossible pulling disappears. The cable chord dissipates, drifts off into the sky, or maybe nothingness. My eyes open and then I'm staring into the space above me. Six faces appear- Naruto. Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei. Ibiki. A blonde woman I recognized as Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin. And, finally, a brunette woman. I blink once, twice, before vaulting off of the table. My eyes search the room frantically, looking for my equipment pouch. Tsunade pulls at my arm, asking, "Kimiko? What are you doing?"

"I-I need my pouch! I need to get my brothers!" I insist, gesturing wildly. They all surround me, prompting me for more explanation. I take a deep breath, willing myself to calm down at least a little bit so I could tell them what happened. "When I was in Tsukuyomi with Itachi, he told me...and these are his exact words, he said, 'Kioku Masao...what a useful addition to the Akatsuki. He certainly pulls his weight.' So Masao is still alive! I need to tell my brothers!"

A flash, and then an ANBU member appears before me. In his extended hand rests my pouch. I yank it from him, digging through it until my fingers close around the summoning scroll. The others move away, giving me room. With shaking hands, moving as fast as I could possibly manage, I unravel it and bite down on my palm. Blood wells up to the surface, and I smooth it out over the kanji. I drop it to the ground and take a few steps back. My hand prickles with the familiar sting, and smoke engulfs the room. I cough against it, noting the sound of the others coughing as well. It engulfed my lungs, making them ache. It takes a few moments, but through the smoke two crouched figures appear. I feel my knees go weak.

The crouched figures stand, heads swiveling as they looked around. Through the waning smoke, they spot me. My knees give way, and I collapse to the ground. Warm arms encircle me. I look up- Daichi was cradling me in his arms as if I was delicate and breakable, like a doll. I definitely felt like one. Kazuo was crouched at my other side, carefully eyeing those around us. Surveying the area for a threat. "Imouto," Daichi breathes. His breath is warm, smelling of the tea he loved to drink. I smile slightly at this. "What...what is wrong?"

"Tsukuyomi..." I murmur. "When inside, Uchiha Itachi told me something. About Masao. And how useful he was being to the Akatsuki."

Daichi's grip tightens near imperceptibly on me, but I can still detect it. His baby blue eyes narrow- normally so kind, but now highly suspicious and very business-like. "Can you show us?" Kazuo asks. My eyes flutter over to him. He's still crouched, but his hands are clasped over mine. I nod slowly. I could do that. And so, I do. I disentangle my hands from his and sit up slightly- Daichi keeping his firm grip upon me- and I press a hand to each of their foreheads. My eyes flash an unearthly blue and then the moment fades. I shake my hands out and they both blink heavily. Daichi's muscles are decidedly tense now, and Kazuo's eyes are flashing with anger.

Kazuo stands and so does Daichi, dragging me up with him and standing me up on my feet. "We need to speak with the Hokage," Daichi says, turning to face Tsunade. "I assume that is you?" Tsunade nods. I can't function much- I'm just doing my best to get any semblance of a bearing. But the memories keep flooding in. I blink tears from my eyes, thinking of the Third's funeral. So they managed to get a new Hokage in the time I was out? How long had I even been unconscious from Tsukuyomi? I knew it had been at least two weeks since the end of the Chunin exams and the Third's funeral, but past that I was clueless. I suspected it hadn't been too long, no more than a few weeks, but then again my concept of time was mostly useless while in Tsukuyomi. My knees feel weak again, and Daichi's arm tightens around my waist.

"Hai. Let us go to my office to further discuss this matter. Kakashi, take your team and have a meeting. Ibiki, you come with us." They all nod. Daichi releases my waist, and both of my brothers give me comforting looks. Then they're gone, exiting out of the window with Tsunade-sama and Ibiki. I stare after them, watching as they disappear from my view. Then Kakashi-sensei steps forward, placing a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Kimi-chan," he murmurs. "You need to go get changed. Then we'll head to Ichiraku's and get some food. Okay?" His words are soft, somewhat soothing, and I feel myself nodding. He releases my shoulder and hands me folded clothing. I grip the clothes in my hands, looking down at it. A clean set of clothing. Not the ones I normally wore, but they seemed as if they would fit me properly. I shuffle into the bathroom, still feeling a bit uneven on my feet.

The door closes behind me and I sigh. My limbs feel light, impossibly feather-like. Like they were floating, like balloons. It takes me a bit of time to shrug on the simple clothing. There was a pair of pants, a white tank top and some shinobi sandals. The bruises on my arms from before Tsukuyomi were still all too visible, the dark greens, blues and yellows smattering across my sickly, translucent skin. I make a face upon observing this. My hair was surprisingly neat, for having been in a coma-like state for Kami only knows how long. The nurses probably combed it. Even so, making this observation, I still pull my fingers through my locks. I hit a few snags and wince at the tenderness of my scalp. My head ached.

"Kimi-chan?" The voice is soft. Naruto-kun. I smile bitterly.

"Just a moment," I murmur. I had been sitting in the bathroom for just over five minutes. I needed to hurry up and get out. Even though I was completely dressed, I feel incredibly exposed. I search around in the cabinets, looking for some bandages to at least cover up my lower arms, but to my chagrin I find none. I suppose I could just bear it until I got home.

And bear I would.

~TMK~

Nearly two hours later. Home. After hearing Naruto speak near-constantly, Kakashi-sensei only getting a few words in, I was ready to sleep.

My bed was the first thing I go to. I collapse face-first into the sheets, sighing softly to myself. I kick my shoes off, almost as an after thought. Sleep was the only thing on my mind right now. And I was halfway there, just about to plunge off into a deep sleep when there is a knock on my front door. I almost cry out in frustration- I wanted sleep. I couldn't deal with all of this going on in my head right now. I couldn't take it anymore.

I have half of a mind to just ignore it, but there's a nagging sensation in my stomach telling me I needed to answer it. So I do. I drag myself from my bed, down the hall to the front door. My body now feels much heavier, not at all floaty like before. The morphine I had been dosed with had worn off, and my body wasn't easily accepting the food I ingested. I still open the door, trying not to lean too heavily on it. Ibiki is before me.

"Hello, Kimiko-san. It has been over a month since our deal has been struck, and since your promotion to chunin. Despite your recent discharge from the hospital, it is still vital to start your training and induction into the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force. Therefore, by the Hokage's orders, you are to begin tomorrow. A member will arrive at some point in the afternoon to retrieve you. Be thoroughly prepared- you shall not be leaving for, at most, an entire month. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Morino-sama," I answer. He nods once, and gives a brief goodbye. I murmur a goodbye and his disappears from view. I stand at the door for a few more moments, leaning heavily against it and using it for support. Well. Looks like I wouldn't be getting much sleep, and probably no news about my brother apparently being alive. Really, at this point, I would not be surprised if my whole family was still alive, only doing this to fuck with my head, They would all pop up at some point, scaring the life out of me. And they'd be laughing, too, because my family members would believe it to be the world's greatest prank.

Kami dammit, all I wanted was sleep. Not the rest of this bullshit to deal with.

~TMK~

**_ "Oh, imouto..." The soft voice drawls out. I snuggle deeper under the covers, as far as I possibly could. I press my hands to my mouth, struggling to hold in my giggles. Masao-nii and I were playing together. A hand drifts lightly over the blankets covering my head, drawing even more giggles out of me. "Boo!"_**

**_ He pounces on me, wrestling the sheets away from my head. I laugh and giggle as his fingers tickle my sides. I smile brightly up at him. He smiles softly down at me, still tickling. I reach out and tickle his stomach. He falls onto his back and laughs. I still laugh too, breathlessly so. "Nii-san!" I laugh. He smiles up at me, reaching out and poking my nose. I stop tickling him, pressing one hand against my nose. He chuckles and brushes my feathery hair away from my eyes. I loved my Masao-nii very much, even though we almost never had moments like these. He was almost always serious, never very playful. Nii-san pulls me closer, up against his chest, cradling me in his arms like I was a baby. Yes, I loved my Masao-nii very, very much._**

~TMK~

TA-DA.

done. please enjoy? review, too, pleaaaassseee? And let me know what you think about the story, and your answers to the questions I asked at the beginning of the chapter, in the author's note. I will love you forever and ever if you do 3 I ended it with a sort of bitter-sweet, though mainly fluffy and sweet moment, 'cause I felt like it :P

REVIEW RESPONSES-

bored411 - well, here you go (: no guarantees the next chapter will be out soon, sorry about that! I'll do my very best to get it out soon, though. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

Ergelina - there will be departures, though two of them are to be expected. As for the rest, you'll find out :P I really hope that you enjoy this chapter, and that it temporarily satisfies your want for answers. (: thanks for reviewing!

Emzy2k11 - here's your update! Sorry about the wait T/.\T And I will do my very best to get the next chapter out soon. TY for reviewing :D


	25. REVIEW RESPONSE to WhenTwoTearsFall

Hey, Hi, Hello.

So I got a review on the last chapter of TMK (Chapter Twenty Four, Erosion of Sanity) and I felt the need to reply to it quickly. I also know I'm not going to be able to upload this for a while, so I decided to give it it's own chapter. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to. But I feel as if it explains a whole lot, so if you have some questions they may be answered below. There's also some hinted outcomes/future events, so if you don't want to see those don't read it! This is a review response to WhenTwoTearsFall!

**~TMK~**

~One

*sigh* Where do I start?  
>I suppose you did a decent job, so I'll just be mixing the good with the bad here in dot points instead of blatantly accusing you.<p>

First things first- I honestly appreciate and am grateful for how honest you are, and the fact you went through the trouble of reading the story, analyzing it, and then typing out a review. It makes me happy to know that you care to that extent, whether it's good or not (to be truthful, I still haven't decided exactly what I think of it). I feel very divided upon it, so I decided to do one of the things I believe I do best- that is, break it down part by part and explain my views on your opinions and the facts you've brought up. I apologize ahead of time about this, because I can ramble on.

~Two

-Detail. Yes, you are time skipping. Do I like it? No, not at all. Because it looks to me that even though you are putting a lot of effort into this fic; you can't be bothered to re-write things out about the original story line to Naruto. Its also coming across to me that you only want to flaunter your OC around, showing how great she is. I appreciate the attempts at not coming across like that though.

The reason I did the time skips was because the parts I skipped wouldn't have varied much, if at all, from the original plot line, so why write what people already knew was going to happen or already happened? I included the parts that changed. If I did anything else, it would have been regurgitating or repeating parts of the story line that would be completely pointless to repeat. I didn't see it as vital to the story line to include those things. However, I will be returning to this story at a later point in time to be editing the story so I can round out the places that are skipped around (an example of one of these future edits will be the 'Invasion of Konoha' arc).

~Three

-Your OC. So. She's emotional. At first she wasn't willing to show her emotions- and I respected her for that. Not much though because even though she realised she had to cover them up a bit so no-one would see them I didn't like her reasoning. Showing weakness. I believe that is a bit ignorant of Kamiko since emotions come naturally and she has obviously changed that. She has gone from not wanting to show weakness through emotions to showing a hell lot of hysteria and 'weakness'. Also, I suspect you may be god-moding your character. Even though she has flaws she couldn't possibly surpass Sasuke by THAT much. And if sh's so all-knowing and observant how could she not have noticed the Hokage and the others looking through that 'crystal ball' of theirs...? And I still think Kimiki should be a bit guilty of killing someone via electrocution. Thats a bit too far and I think even though the guy was out for her blood and he was a bad person by our perspective she should've at least looked back at taking a life. Where has that emotionless front gone? I kind of liked that in her... and the fact that she only showed emotions rarely. It gave a little sense of appreciation for those little things that peaked out at the right times, they were cute. 3

I admit- I messed up in regards to the amount of emotion I showed, and when it was shown. I am human, I have my faults (and this is my first ever fanfiction). And you said you believed it was ignorant of Kimiko to go the whole 'showing emotions equals showing weakness' path. The reasoning for that line of thinking (which fell apart quickly upon the forming of the teams, which is clearly stated in the summary- 'That is, until she gets assigned to her first team.') is because of the environment she was raised in (by that, I mean Masao's harsh training). Essentially, the way it works out, is that Masao's nindo, ninja way, is that 'Showing excessive emotion is weakness.' Due to his influence, brainwashing and physical/mental/emotional torture along with Kimiko's slowly deteriorating mind and body, she has (attempted, really- she pretty much dropped it when the team thing started up (see above!)) adopted it in a much more extreme format. As to her surpassing Sasuke, it was hinted at (maybe not heavily enough, for which I am to blame) that her clan was known for their affinity for taijutsu. As having no Sharingan to put to use for a good portion of his life, and not having the same observational skills as Kimiko, Sasuke really has had only so much to see when it comes to jutsus and therefore would not have the same knowledge of them as Kimiko. For the crystal ball technique, it's called the 'Telescope Technique'. Not much in-depth information has been given, so I operated under the assumption that the person being watched would notice no more than standard chakra fluctuations. It is used for intelligence, after all. So, even if Kimiko was/is being targeted with it, the chakra fluctuations would seem to be completely normal and not of much worth to her at the time-being. No more than a prickling. And don't worry- the guilt will settle in. It's already begun.

~Four

-Romance. Since I am a hopeless romantic I have to applaud you for giving Kakashi and Kimiki (I just realised their names have the same syllables and first and last letter xD) their little heartfelt times together. Hopefully though, Kakashi isn't going to out of character from this relationship because I'm sure that he feels a great deal of comfort around Sasuke and Naruto too. I also like how even though this is a KakashixOC story you have not completely centered it over that and you kept the original focus of the anime/manga- Action and Drama.  
>Good work. In this area you've gained my lovings<p>

Thanks :D To be honest, that was a complete coincidence. I noticed around chapter six or seven. He might be a bit OOC at times, but I will do my best to keep it at a limit.

~Five

-Plot/story line. How do I put this? A bit cleche in the sense that her family was slaughtered. Since Kishimoto Masashi has already made Sasuke do this I sort of felt that Kimiko and Sasuke would get along. Pity, I was anticipating a heartfelt moment or two to erupt with them. If you count the Forest of Death in the Chuunin exams then I guess its cool right now. The complications are pretty cool here too. She has about two years to live? Though I feel that factor has kind of been forgotten since it hasn't been brought up SINCE BLOODY CHAPTER 3! I also wanted to say that this concept is... a bit strange but it could work. Its not great but it works.

Cliche, maybe (yes) but not entirely out there. The 'dead clan/family/friends' thing is quite common within Naruto. There's Naruto, Sasuke, Haku, Kakashi, Tsunade, and a lot of others. They will have their moments where they really understand each other, though it won't necessarily happen all at once. And all in good time- it will be brought up soon enough. To be honest, I did forget about it for a couple of chapters. But I remember, and it'll all come together.

~Six

-Strategy: There are a few things I wanted to bring up. Sakura being put on Team 8? That... was actually smart. But, considering they are a scout team and having a 4-man squad is completely different, someone should be fussing over them don't you think? The strategy for them would be that Sakura could be the medic nin (in part II of course) and right now with her... whatever the hell she has, she could protect or play a small roll a specific mission. Perhaps with her knowledge she could come up with a decent plan. Though Team Seven stays a bit the same since the skill set is at perfect level... except for Kimiki's taijutsu.

Seeing as they're honestly not the main focus of the story, no. Not now, anyway. Perhaps in a (potential) sequel, once the things that are going on now settle down. Which will not really be any time soon. Though, I will consider (kind of have been anyway, but not too seriously) putting a small portion- maybe a couple of paragraphs or so- in mentioning what's going on with the rest of the characters. I hope that will smooth that area of concern out with you. And I'll try to insert Sakura in a bit, but I can already inform you that it's highly unlikely she'll be doing anything beyond a supporting, small roll on a mission. As for the dynamics of Team Seven- an initial point (and still a major point) of the fanfic was for the alteration to affect the outcome of the story. Kimiko's abilities differ from Sakura's, and her personality is on the far end of the spectrum in relation to Sakura's. This was intended.

~Seven

Also, sometimes this fanfiction has brief moments of wit but then the style of your writing is... dare I say stupidly set out that it makes me believe otherwise. Like the Chuunin exams when Kimiki was talking about electrocution. That was well done, but her little speech almost bored me. I would also like to point out that since they're from Oto they know full well how sound and electrocution travel and conduct. In fact it was mentioned in Chouji's battle too, which Dosu had explained to him that since our body is made up of 80% of water he could easily stop Chouji's moves by simply catching hold of him and using the sound because water amplified sound by... 5 times I think it was?  
>Kimiki clearly stated that Dosu didn't know how it worked.<br>I think you need to check your Naruto history missy.

The speech wasn't intended to explain things for Dosu, though it seems that way. The speech- the workings of electrocution, its affects on the body when highly concentrated and amplified by water- was entirely intentional and meant to inform the audience, as in the people watching the match (because she knew people were paying a lot of attention) and the readers. So no, I don't really believe I do. I'm sorry that it was boring, but not everybody will know that.

~Eight

-Personalities: You've done a great job at keeping everyone in character but I feel you haven't let people get depressed over things other than Kakashi and Kimiki. Even Sasuke sounds like hes not teenangst! Kimiki's personality worries me a bit. But it also frustrates me. Shes not very considerate is she... she didn't even consider the fact that people didn't want to hear her worries. Though she's got quite a temper, doesn't she? Most of her thoughts are based on herself or ripping people off. Based on this information, I've deduced that I hate her. Even though she's okay... contradicting I know but this is coming from only one person so others might think differently.

Thank you! (: This story isn't focusing as much on others as it is Kimiko. But yes, that is another of the flaws. I haven't been including the rest of the team's views as I should have. I'm doing my best to correct that error within the upcoming chapters. And yeah, she's far from considerate. She's growing up in a fucked up world and she's a kid. Kids tend to be pretty selfish and tempermental most of the time. However, as she gets older, she'll learn to become more considerate and to tame her temper. It'll take a while, but she will get there. I understand why you hate her, too. I can only hope that most people don't.

~Nine

I hope this review helps you improve. I like this story, but it leaves a lot of room for improvement.  
>-Kiyoshi-baka<p>

P.S. I would like to say that most of this is based on my opinion. Please don't take it to heart.

I'm doing my best to improve it, and your review certainly is going to help me. I hope my response to your review- how I explained certain things- helped! Once more, thank you for reviewing (: I really appreciate it. While you did come off as condescending at certain points, and it did initially hurt to read it, you were honest and I am so glad you were. Sometimes, when writing, an author really needs stuff like that ^.^ I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story!

**~TMK~**

NOTE- the next chapter won't be out for a couple of weeks, possibly even a month from now. Gomen T/.\T I have tons of other things to do, and other fics I need to make progress in! Thanks for reading, kiddies 3


	26. Chapter 25 The Finer Art

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty five of TMK. I hope you enjoy it! Not much to say. Sorry for the wait? I'm definitely going to gloss over Kimi's training within the Torture and Interrogation Force and move straight into the ending of it, which will be the main focus of the next chapter. If anyone wants it, though, I'll write it and put it up in the extras section at some point in time. No song for this chapter, though I might come back through and edit something in if I find something that fits.

**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Naruto.  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Blood, cussing, and guilt.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
><strong><em>This is what memories look like.<em>**  
><em>This is what thoughts look like.<em>  
><em>'This is what song lyrics look like.' <em>

~TMK~

_** Here I was. Again. The nightmare realm. It seemed it would be forever embedded into my dreams.**_

_** There is someone else there, too. His back is to me and he's crouched near the ground no more than ten feet from me. Fabric hangs down between his knees, blackened and destroyed. All of his clothes were like that- tattered and charred. Part of his back is exposed. The skin there is mostly black, with bits of crimson-pink just barely showing through. He's so frighteningly still. My feet are cemented into place, rendering me unable to move. He turns suddenly, a strange wobbling motion in his footsteps. My eyes place this motion almost immediately. A hobbling step, waver, drag, hobbling step. Repeat. **_

_** The bandages that covered his face in life have fallen away, all incinerated and hanging loosely around his neck. His face is completely destroyed. Unrecognizable. The skin covering his face is no longer there, all having melted away. His blood vessels have all burst, his nerves have fried along with the majority of his muscles. His jaw opens and closes a little bit. His eyes bore into me. They're large and round and completely accusing. His teeth are covered in bits of burnt muscle. I feel my heart thudding in my chest. He steps closer, closer. His bone gleams in the dim light. As he closes in on me, a pounding noise begins ringing through my ears. My heart beat- ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. It looked like he had been tossed into a fryer, fried alive, and he had been. By me. I did this to someone. I killed someone's team mate, someone's son. I killed someone's important person.**_

_**I fall to my hands and knees. My stomach lurches with a sickening twist and I begin to dry heave. Dosu still approaches still, semi-steady on his feet and just out of reach. The overwhelming realization that this was all my fault comes crashing on my shoulders. The dry heaving stops. I curl up, knees to my chest. No tears come as the bandages brush across my skin, and not when I can feel his hot breath on my cheeks. Just guilt.**_

~TMK~

Never before have I woken up like this.

A first time for everything, I guess. My entire chest aches with phantom pain. The first thing I do is bolt straight up in bed. My hand flies up to clutch at my chest. The pain sends me reeling, barely able to keep my eyes open. It felt like I was stabbed through with a katana, directly through my heart. The blankets pool around my stomach. If my internal clock was anything to judge by, it was still pitch-black outside. Somewhere around six, if I were to be more specific.

It takes at least thirty minutes for the pain to subside enough for me to move. I ease my way out of bed, sliding my legs over the side and slowly standing. My whole body feels weak- looks like everything was beginning to catch up with me. Fabulous.

According to the clock sitting on my bedside table, it was six thirty in the morning. So I was close enough. I walk carefully into my bathroom, stopping on the way to get clean clothes. I was eager to take a shower, because right now I smelled like a hospital (cleaning products and death, essentially). I come to regret this decision quickly.

I soap my hair up as normal. I massage it into my scalp, tracing circles with my fingers. And, when I lower my hands, I see something very peculiar. My palms have hair on them. My hair was beginning to fall out. I direct my head under the warm spray of water issuing from the shower head. I watch the drain carefully. Water and soap suds swirl down, disappearing as they hit the drain. That seems to be all that's happening, but if one looked closer they would see the hair catching. Seeing this jolts me out of the shock. Now I just wanted to hurry up and get out.

Fifteen minutes later and I'm towel drying my hair. I'm already fully clothed- my mother's sash knotted around my waist - and just stalling for time now. I run my comb through my hair a total of seven times. It takes up ten minutes. After that point, I've resigned myself to forcing down food. I had to go visit Tsunade-sama and my brothers (who would be sticking around for a few days, I suspected) to get at least a little bit of help with my physical and mental deterioration. The way I was going now, I had about a year if I was careful. I wouldn't have that luxury, the ability of being careful.

I take my time packing. I include multiple pairs of clothes, gauze, kunai, shuriken, other weapons, scrolls, and the picture I took from my mother and father's room. I put it all into my normal pouches and then a backpack. At this point, it's about ten minutes past seven. Good enough of a time to head up to the Hokage's tower, I suppose. So I go, jumping over the rooftops to the Hokage tower. I land, crouched, in front of the entrance, ignoring the jolt of pain sent up my body. I stand and go through the doors, finding my way up to her office. Shizune, her assistant, is nowhere in sight, so I walk straight up to the door and knock. After a moment, I hear a voice from within telling me to enter.

Tsunade-sama is alone, her desk swamped with papers. She looks up at my entrance, setting her pen down and leaning back in her seat. Her honey-eyes narrow slightly at my appearance- probably bad. Sickly. "Well, Kioku," she says, "I was expecting you to show up some time today, before you started your training. You were already supposed to, but then Tsukuyomi...well. I guess you're here about your steadily deteriorating physical condition. Your brothers have informed me of the condition, its causes and symptoms."

I nod. "Hai, Tsunade-sama. You're correct."

She nods, almost scoffing. "Of course I am. Take a seat."

I do as she says, letting myself relax minimally in my seat. Tsunade stands and bustles around the office, grabbing things off of the shelves. She sets all of these things down on her desk, disregarding any papers in the ways. She's gathered poultices, pills, salves, even a pair of thick gloves. She takes her seat. "Now," she tells me, "you'll need to take two of these tablets daily, apply this salve to your hands, wrists and forehead once in the morning, once at night before you go to bed, drink three tablespoonfuls worth of these two medicines every morning, and then one of these pills in this bottle every six hours. This thick black stuff? Yeah, apply to your forehead once every other day. And this bottle here, the pink stuff, rub it into your scalp once a day and let it sit for thirty minutes before rinsing it with warm water. And take the medicine in this green bottle every two hours, a teaspoon in each dose. You get all that? You have enough to last you two months, though you won't need it for that long. Once you're released from training and free to leave I need you to come see me. Oh, and every moment you're not in the shower or applying any of your meds you need to be wearing the gloves. It's best if you don't ask questions as to which one does what, just know that it will drastically improve your physical condition until you can receive proper instruction on how to perform your clan jutsus."

I blink once. "Of course." Her eyes bore into me for a mere moment- honey colored orbs bearing down into my crystal-blue gaze- before she nods. She gathers everything into a bag except for the gloves (giving them to me, which is when I slide them on. The fabric's thick, as I observed) and hands me the bag. After a few parting words (her brusquely telling me to pass the training) she sends me off back to my apartment, informing me I might be called on early. That was her telling me I'd better be prepared because whoever was picking me up would be there earlier than I was informed. So I packed my medicine away, keeping the thick gloves on all the while. They would definitely take some getting used to.

Around eleven o' clock finds me sitting on my couch, practicing gathering chakra in my hand. There was about a tennis ball sized orb in my hand, swirling around. The edges were blurry, not at all smooth like it was my goal to make them. I'm focused upon doing this- concentration was key, as I'd been told so many times before- when there's a loud bang and smoke fills my room. I pull my chakra back, feeling it filter through the thick fabric of the glove. I feel my muscles tense, and I pull my legs a bit closer to my chest. I wasn't necessarily alarmed at this, though I perhaps should have been. The smoke clears to reveal a man wearing a gray uniform- the standard outfit of a member of the Torture and Interrogation Force. Bandages cover the top half of his face, and his hitae-ate is pulled low over his eyes. A cigarette hangs from his lips.

"Hello, Kioku Kimiko," he murmurs, "I am Tobitake Tonbo. I'm sure you've come to the realization that I'm here to collect you for your impending, soon-to-begin training. Gather your things, please, and we shall leave."

So this was it. The beginning of my training in the finer art of torture, my career as a chunin. Well, at least I was prepared for it.

~TMK~

TA-DA.

Long awaited chapter twenty five! Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy it. The next chapter's mostly written. Please review!


	27. Chapter 26 The Final Day

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty six. Please enjoy it :D I worked hard on it! It's the second to last chapter! The end is nigh! xD Song is 'Move' by Thousand Foot Krutch. Thanks, Lainjukinjs! (:

**DISCLAIMER:** I no own Naruto (x  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Blood, cussing, and torture.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis. **  
><em><strong>This is what memories look like. <strong>_  
><em>This is what thoughts look like. <em>  
><em>'This is what song lyrics look like.'<em>

~TMK~

_'Can you hear me?_  
><em>Stop, look, listen to my voice<em>  
><em>It was never my choice to feel all alone<em>  
><em>This is my home<em>  
><em>Back up, you don't know <em>  
><em>if you've never been here<em>  
><em>You've never been to the <em>  
><em>place inside, I face my fears<em>  
><em>It takes everything I am.'<em>

~TMK~

THREE AND A HALF WEEKS INTO KIMI'S TRAINING.

~TMK~

"Good job, gaki," Tonbo mumbles, taking a drag from the cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. "Specially with the way you snapped the bone in his arm clean in two. Nice, even break. I like it when that happens."

I nod. "Arigato, Tonbo-sensei." He waves his hand in a dismissive manner, the other reaching up to grab his cigarette and flick the ashes into a trashcan. For a brief moment, he looks like he's about to say something else, but the door to the observation room is opened and Ibiki enters. Tonbo doesn't do much, just lifts his cigarette back to his lips. I face Ibiki almost expectantly, waiting for his judgement. I got to do most of the work this time, with Ibiki being the only one in the room with me. Even then, he only spoke a few times through out the entire process (an entire hour, which would have been longer if I hadn't gone out on a limb and broken my victim's arm). Now, I was awaiting his judgment. Did I do good, or was I horrible and not fit to be part of the team?

I stand from the metal chair I had been sitting in. "Ibiki-sama? How...did I do?"

Ibiki eyes me carefully. After a moment of silence, in which my heart thuds heavily in my chest. Then he opens his mouth. "You did near-perfect. Tonbo, with me. You may return to your room."

I nod, feeling nerves coil in my stomach. That wasn't exactly what I was expecting to hear, but if that's what he was giving me then that's what I'd deal with. And by telling me that I may return to my room he meant that's what I was being ordered to do. So I step past them, turning left and heading down the hallway. I reach my room quickly, and once I do I flop down on the bed. My room was relatively small, with a twin sized bed and a dresser against the far wall. No windows. There was nothing else, and no personal additions.

It was getting pretty late in the evening, around nine at night. I had eaten before the interrogation, so I wasn't hungry. I only wanted to sleep, but I still had to take the medicine Tsunade-sama gave me. Thankfully I'd only have a little bit longer of the stuff before I would hopefully get different, better tasting medicine. So I sit back up, albeit grudgingly. I get the medicine I needed to take- the salve, a pill, and one particularly disgusting liquid that was thick, green, and foul smelling. I take the pill quickly and chase it with the liquid. It leaves my mouth tingling, but I move on. I remove my gloves and dip my hand into the salve. It was actually pretty bearable. It smelled of peppermints and sage, it didn't leave behind any residue, and it made any pain I felt fade away. The other medicines did have an effect, it was true, but they didn't act as quickly.

Once I'm done, I put my gloves back on and put the medicine away. Then I kick my shoes off and fall back onto my bed, not even bothering to get under the covers. So I just reach up with one hand, flick the light switch off, and let my hand drop back to my side. After that, I just look up at the ceiling. I couldn't really see because there was no light, not even from underneath the bottom of the door, but I kept my eyes open. Sometimes it was nice just to relax and think of nothing, which was extremely hard for me. Eventually, though, I'm pulled into sleep.

~TMK~

_** "This...is pointless."**_

_**"Colowing isn't poiwntless, nii-chan. Pwease, pwease, pwease, just color wif me! Pwease! Pwease! Pwease! Pwease! Pwease! Pwease! Pwease! Pwease! Pwea-" **_

_** "Okay," Masao says, sighing. "I'll color with you. Only for a little bit, though."**_

_** "Thankies!" I squeal. I'm only five years old, still amazingly naive and still majorly into coloring. I'd out-grow that phase in about a year, moving on into an interest with my chichi-ue's katana or my haha-ue's throwing stars. For now, though, I was perfectly content with coloring pictures of kunai and shuriken and ninja outfits with my nii-san. He smiles at me, picking up a pencil and starting on his picture of Sunagakure.**_

_** Too bad the serenity wouldn't be lasting long.**_

~TMK~

_There is someone in my room. Two someones._

I don't move a single muscle. Judging from the chakra signatures, people I knew. Tonbo and Shimon. But what for? This likely had something to do with how I was nearing the end of training. Perhaps this would be some sort of test? So I'd better fight back, I think, smiling softly. As soon as Tonbo's fingers brush my wrists, Shimon reaching for my legs, I kick my foot out. It connects with Shimon's face. I flip myself around as Tonbo dives in to grab my wrists to restrain me. I throw my fist out. He catches my wrist and drags me forward. He pulls me until my back's against his chest. He twists my arm around behind my back, yanking it up until it becomes painful. Shimon's ducked down, a coil of rope in one hand and his other hand closing around my ankle.

I couldn't let myself be captured so easily, and especially without causing damage. That's why I send my free elbow flying back into Tonbo's ribcage, simultaneously throwing my knee up. It hits Shimon's face. He grunts lowly, muttering a cuss word. I feel something warm flowing down my leg. I smile in victory- that would be blood from his nose breaking. Feeling more confident, I toss my head back to headbutt Tonbo. He grunts in pain, his grip loosening fractionally before tightening up, it becoming more painful. He grabs my other arm, Shimon gripping both of my ankles. I let myself fall forward, becoming dead weight. I would have landed on Shimon's back, nearly dragging Tonbo down with me, if it weren't for Tonbo digging his heels into the ground, refusing to let me drop all the way without the threat of my elbows potentially dislocating, and for Shimon getting the rope- chakra restraining, unfortunately- around my ankles. I jerk around, trying to free myself. I was getting a bit sloppier with my movements, the realization that this was the end, the final day, settling in. I try to calm my nerves, keep myself acting rationally, but when Tonbo frees one hand and a hood's pulled over my head, it becomes increasingly more difficult. And all my actions are halted when something heavy connects with the back of my head, just above my neck. I let out a low groan of pain before falling unconscious.

~TMK~

_This is one hell of a headache._

I'm slouched forward in a metal chair, my arms and legs immovable. A hood's covering my face. My head aches with pain, originating from just above my neck and radiating all around, pulsing with agony. I can hear breathing, not my own. And chakra, too, though with the pain clouding my head it was far from easy to identify. Maybe Ibiki-sama's? It felt like it.

The hood's pulled off, making me wince as it brushes against the tender skin on my head. I blink away the haze in my eyes, lifting my head up. It was Ibiki-sama. So I was right. He's sitting across from me, a shiny silver table separating us. He looks deadly serious. "Tell me all you know of your brother and the Akatsuki."

My eyes narrow. He already knew this information. Maybe he thought I knew more than I was telling? I look down at my hands. They're bound to a metal chair with chakra restraining ropes, probably the same as before. I pull on them, try to move my limbs around to see if there was any give to them. There wasn't. I look back up, making eye contact with him. "No," I answer simply.

He smirks, nodding. "About what I expected," he tells me, leaning forward in his chair. He glares at me intensely, trying to read me. When he finds nothing of worth in my eyes, he stands and walks around the table. He stops and leans on it, close enough to be able to touch. One of his hands ghosts over the fingers of my right hand, finally coming to a rest on my index finger. "You sure?" I roll my eyes, nodding. He shrugs his shoulders, fingers closing in and squeezing my finger. "So be it."

He twists my finger into an impossible position, breaking it smoothly. My eyes widen and I automatically strain against the ropes. A sound of pain emits from my mouth. I can't help it- it hurt too much. Ibiki has a sadistic look on his face- something between a smile and a smirk. His hand moves onto the other. "Still don't wanna talk?" I try not to talk, instead just shaking my head. The smirk grows at this, and the next three fingers are broken in quick succession. My pain's becoming increasingly obvious, my noises of pain growing until the last one comes out as a mangled scream. A little blood trickles out from my maimed fingers, dripping down onto the floor with soft little dripping noises.

"This is only going downhill," he promises me. I sum up the energy to glare defiantly at him. He chuckles softly beneath his breath. He reaches down to the pouch on his leg, withdrawing a kunai. "You know, that's an interesting scar you've got there. Pretty impressive. Tell me how you got it."

I snarl, "Not a fucking chance!"

Another chuckle. "Oh, you'll change your mind. Trust me." His hand darts out, the kunai now pressed against my shoulder, right on top of my scar. He presses it closer until blood wells up, visceral against my pale skin. He drags it downwards. I scream out, as loud as can. He was pulling it downwards painfully slow, extending it further past the original end point to the tip of my broken middle finger. Of course, when he hits the broken portion, he presses it even harder into my skin. At this point my throat is beginning to ache. He tosses the kunai onto the table. It skids to a halt, just narrowly avoiding falling from the table. It leaves behind a trail of blood, making my stomach flip at the sight. Ibiki steps away, heading to what I assume is the door out. I don't pay much attention, instead looking at my arm. Blood flows freely from it, staining the ground crimson.

Ibiki steps around again, followed by Shimon and Tonbo. I note the gauze patch over Shimon's nose. I only have a few seconds to feel just a little bit guilty about this, because he's soon wrapping a cloth over my mouth and nose. Oh, so they were gagging me now? What for? Tonbo is carrying two buckets. I take a breath through my nose, despite the cloth covering it, in hopes of catching its scent and figuring out what it is. My smelling senses are heavily muted though, mostly because of the injury to my head and how much the right side of my body was hurting. No luck there.

Shimon pulls the chair back onto the back legs, confusing me even further. So a gag, plus being pulled back until I can easily see the ceiling just above the table. Suspicious. Add something that was held in a bucket...fear pools in my chest. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good. Tonbo hoists the big bucket over me, poising it above my head. I hear liquid sloshing around inside. It's most likely water. A little bit of it splashes over the side, landing on my stomach. Yeah, definitely water. He glances over at Ibiki. Ibiki nods once, and the bucket's slowly upturned over my mouth.

Water rushes over my mouth. It feels like I'm drowning and I can't breathe. I let out a muffled scream, struggling against my bonds as hard as I could. I squeeze my eyes shut. My already broken bones ache from all my movement, but I was straining them even more. And I couldn't help my reaction. The water streams down to my wounds.

That's when I realize it has salt in it.

It burns like fire. My eyes fly open and I scream even louder, the sound muffled and raw. Tonbo stops pouring the water after a few seconds, and Shimon lowers the gag to my chin, letting my chair settle back onto the ground. My head falls forward and I suck in pained breaths, trying to fill my lungs with oxygen. They ache and burn in my chest. They let me take three full breaths before yanking the cloth back up, tilting the chair back and starting the horrendous process all over again.

They do it sixteen times in a row, until I can't help but cry and I can't scream anymore. I've broken one of my ankles from the force that I struggled against my ropes. By then they've finally run out of water. Tonbo and Shimon leave without another word, taking the buckets but leaving the gag around my neck. I can feel Ibiki's smirk burning into my back, reminding me of my Uchiha teammate. "Decided to give in yet?" he asks.

I whisper out a hoarse 'no', unable to do anything beyond that. I can't even find the power in me to lift my head up. "A fiery one," he comments. I don't give any indication I heard him. The door opens. Someone, Inoichi judging by the chakra signature I almost can't even identify, steps in and towards me.

Ibiki grabs my hair in his hand, jerking up until my head's painfully forced up. Inoichi, who's crouching in front of me, looks into my eyes, searching them for something. By this point, my mind and vision are so blurry and my senses impossibly alight with crippling agony that I can barely process anything. The world felt like it was swimming around me, tossing and turning and tumbling around and around until I was dizzy. Blood's trickling a path down my chin and down onto my neck, originating from my raw and bloodied lips. What I can process, though, are the hand signs Inoichi begins forming. I've seen them before. From Ino. The mind-transfer jutsu.

Physical torture wasn't enough, it seems. No, now they had to fuck with my mind. The first thing I manage to do upon realizing what he was doing is throw up the highest, strongest mental walls I could with my muggy mental state. Inoichi forms the final hand sign, and his body falls limp. I feel pulling at the edges of my mind, pulling that makes the mental walls wear thin. I think only of how far I've come and how horrible it would be if it fell down into nothingness over something like this, something I knew I could prevent. That makes the walls strengthen again.

The pulling subsides after a moment. Ibiki tugs my head back, looking into my eyes. I hiss out one word through the blood filling my mouth. "**Fuck you,**" I tell him, gathering te blood in my mouth and spitting it on his uniform.

He raises an eyebrow, whistling softly. He releases his hold on my hair, and my head automatically slumps forward. "Well," he says, "congrats. You made it into the Torture and Interrogation Force."

~TMK~

TA-DA.

The end is near, the end is near, the end is near xD Let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope my writing was good. I hope to get this story done by Christmas! Love you, kiddies (:

REVIEW RESPONSES:

-rainfurr26: sorry but it is almost over! no worries though, there will definitely be a sequel! (:

-bored411: thank you~ c: that was really fun to write, surprisingly enough. I feel bad for her too, and mad at myself because I'm the one who does it!


	28. Chapter 27 The End

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to the very last chapter of TMK. It's been an adventure writing this, that's for sure. I hope you guys enjoy it 3 love you kiddies! Please comment and vote. Hasn't been edited much, 'cause I'm just too excited to post this ^/.\^ The song is 'River Flows In You' by Yiruma. It's just piano, one of my favorites by him.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto.  
><strong>WARNINGS:<strong> Saaaaaaaaaaaaaadddddd! Or maybe more bittersweet? Eh, whatever. Sasuke is OOC. A little bit of cussing.

~TMK~

_ To think...it would end like this..._

~TMK~

**_ After everything, and seeing him makes my heart clench._**

**_ He turns, black-blue hair fluttering around his neck. He smiles, a smile so soft and endearing... it's been a while since I've seen him smile like that. Since I was eight. He seems so at peace and calm, here in the realm of my nightmare world. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on- this was definitely the strangest dream I've had since going through my training and induction into the Torture and Interrogation Force -but I could gather this form of his was of my mind's own creation, what I most wanted to see him as. The last time I saw him look really, genuinely happy._**

**_ "Imouto," he murmurs, his hand extending outwards until he cradled my cheek in his palm. "How's life going for you?"_**

**_ I can't speak. My lips are frozen, hanging half open. I struggle to form words. Masao just smiles patiently, amiably. I feel something strange in my chest that's dangerously close to falling apart. My composure._**

**_ "Take your time," he whispers. My gaze drops from his eyes, traveling down to my feet. What a cruel dream this was. My gaze softens from shock into something softer, more sensitive. My heart felt cracked. And it had been put through so much lately, so much stupid, stressful, preventable shit that I was surprised it hadn't failed me already. Honestly, if it were even my choice, I just might have let it happen._**

**_ "I-I...Masao, you killed them all..." I can't easily find the words to express my feelings. What I would give for this to be real, to really be with the older brother I adored so much, and for him to just be like he used to... I smile bitterly, closing my eyes and leaning into his touch. I could let this last for a little bit longer, right? Before I tore myself up again._**

~TMK~

I have changed a lot.

After learning of my brother's plot with the Akatsuki, how it was all planned, I came to the decision that I didn't want to be like Masao. Not emotionless, not so full of contempt and cynicism. That was his nindo, and why should I follow him? I was my own person, someone beyond the little puppet my nii-san controlled. Wasn't I? Being teamed up with Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi taught me that. Even if they didn't mean to do it. Seeing the way Sasuke dealt with his grief, the way Naruto could be so happy and carefree but still so dedicated and serious, and the way Kakashi-sensei cared and was much more thoughtful than he ever let on...that struck me with such power that I couldn't help but want to change.

~TMK~

"Wake the fuck up."

My eyes open. Familiar ceiling. The hospital again, how fucking lovely. I was so sick and tired of waking up in the hospital. At least I was getting a little bit of a change of pace, being woken up this time by someone else instead of it just happening like it had been. And, of all people, it was Uchiha Sasuke doing it.

"...hai, Sasuke-san?" I croak. My voice was still hoarse, due to all the screaming I had been doing during my 'test'.

He peers at me. He's sitting in a tense position at the side of my bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his fingers laced together beneath his chin. He looks like the very picture of teen angst, all moody and contemplative and like he hates the world. He probably does. "I have been considering something," he confesses. After I simply give him a look that reads 'explain yourself or leave' he continues by informing me, "Your family was murdered and you don't even care. Why?"

He was under the impression I didn't care? "I care," I answer simply.

"It sure as hell doesn't seem like it!" He exclaims, glaring even harder.

I shrug weakly. "You've been thinking about this for a long time, haven't you? I honestly don't see how the way I'm dealing with my grief is any of your business."

"Because I'm your team mate? Because l've been through the same thing?!" He snarls. I take this moment to observe him. His cheeks are flushed from anger. He wasn't his normal, composed self. This was him thinking too much.

"Well, Sasuke, the way I see it, we're polar opposites. We have dead clans, yes, but you...you've been dealing with this in all the wrong ways. Revenge is not the answer. You shouldn't let him have that sort of power over you. If you want him to suffer then have free will for once and do what you want to with your life. That would fuck with his head. And, on a further note, you just might end up being happy," I tell him.

He frowns. "This isn't about him, that bastard! This is about how you never seem affected by your dead family!"

I glare at him. "I was raised by my brutal older brother, oftentimes in violent ways, that showing no emotion was the best nindo. Now, after everything, I've come to believe it's better to forge my own path, come up with my own way. It...his training...still affects me, though, so I don't speak of it and I do my best not to think of it. But I am affected. I dream of them. Of falling into pools of their blood, staring into my mother's eyes, lifeless because her throat had been ripped out. The way my baby cousin, only three years old, looked with her intestines strewn about her. I have nightmares about them getting murdered in Tsukuyomi, with me being unable to do anything, simply paralyzed, just cry and pray to whoever is listening to make it end already. So don't even continue to operate under the assumption that I don't **feel** anything. I often think I feel **too much**."

He frowns down at his feet. "We're leaving," he states. I frown- who was leaving? Where were they going and for how long? "Kakashi, Naruto, Jiraiya and I. We're going to travel around all the five lands, training and all."

What? My chest stung. "I...for how long?"

"Kakashi insists just a year, but probably longer. But whatever, we leave in less than two weeks. And...bye," he informs me, this last part a mumble. He seems to be a lot calmer, like my words provided him with answers he needed.

I smile tightly. "Goodbye."

~TMK~

My whole body feels frighteningly numb, encased in an ice-fire that was tearing my senses apart. I thought I understood loss. And I did-but only to an extent. I know the loss of family, yes, but not the loss that's accompanied by a strange sense of dismay and alarm at wondering why they decided to do this. And for what? They wouldn't be gone forever, right? Just for an entire year, they assured. Well, Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-kun assured. Sasuke was sulking in the corner and Jiraiya was too busy trying to stare down Tsunade-sama's shirt to do any assuring, not that he was concerned about me, anyway.

Tsunade-sama didn't comment much about how long they would be gone. She just analyzed me with those honey-colored eyes, so much so it made me feel like squirming under her scrutiny. However, I was definitely not one for squirming and therefore did not. I allowed myself to shift my weight on my feet, a little bit. My ankle felt strange after being broken.

It was a mere week and a half ago that I awoke in a hospital bed after officially graduating from Ibiki-sama's rigorous final test. I hadn't been out for long, the nurse assured, just about a day. Her name was Rin and she had pretty eyes. I liked her. She was kind. I went through physical therapy with little difficulty, probably because since graduating from the Academy I had been there frequently. The nurses were familiar and knew how to work with me.

Those eyes again. I blink, banishing my negative thoughts and focusing on Naruto. He was babbling on and on about how much they would miss me and how we could always send letters back and forth. That causes a spring of hope to well up in my chest. Maybe not everything would be so bad.

Or maybe I'm wrong.

~TMK~

They look so happy.

Not Sasuke, of course- he's still the very picture of pre-teen angst. But Naruto and Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya look happy, like they're excited about this. I hope they are; this would be a good experience for them. They would improve greatly.

"I'LL MISS YOU, KIMI-CHAN, 'TTEBAYO!" Naruto shouts, rushing forward and encasing me in a tight, rib-crushing hug. I smile, albeit a bit forced, and hug him back.

"We all will. Even Sasuke, though he probably won't admit it," Kakashi-sensei assures as Naruto lets me go.

"Wouldn't expect him to," I inform them. Kakashi-sensei gives me a closed eye smile, stepping forward. He hugs me, though it's brief.

"Hey, don't grow up to much without us, okay?" He jokes.

I have to keep myself from rolling my eyes. "No promises, Kakashi-sensei." He laughs again, bending down to kiss my forehead. I feel my cheeks flush instantly, the red stain persisting even after he straightens and ruffles my hair. Jiraiya glances over his shoulder at the gates. He was probably anxious to get going.

The sun was only just rising. It filters through my hair, casting a red halo about me. I smile warmly at them, feeling tears build up behind my eyes. They were really leaving, for a year or possibly more. I lift my gloved hand, waving slowly back at Naruto as he walked away with the others. This was it, this was goodbye.

When they came back, I would be someone to be proud of. I would get stronger, better, just like they would. I would change.

~TMK~

_** "There will come a day...when I'm not here anymore. When no one will be, not for you, and not for a long time. You'll have to rely upon yourself. It will be hard- you'll hurt. You'll break bones, kill others and feel nothing when you end their life, gain scars so deep they'll never heal. Everyone does. It's just part of life. And you have to keep going. Even if every Kami-damned bone in your body is shattered to dust and everything, from your heart to your chest to your head, feels like they've given up, you have to get back up and fight. Those wounds are your battle scars, proof to yourself and everyone else that yes, you can withstand it and no, you'll never give in."**_

~TMK~

TA-DA.

The end! :D but don't worry, there will definitely be a sequel. If you have any questions about this story, just ask and you'll get answers. Thank you for reading/voting/commenting (: it means a lot. Here in a couple of weeks/months I'll post a message or something with a title or mini-excerpt. Anyway, kiddies, I love you all 3 thank you for everything.


	29. Update

Hey~

So I was supposed to post an update here, for when I started the sequel. But I forgot to, until a lovely reviewer reminded me.

The sequel is titled 'Scarred [Home At Last]', and I've recently published the seventh chapter. Please go read it, and review, if you like (:

Thank you for all the support, and constructive criticism. It means an incredible amount to me.

-Madara-baka (the brave one!) ^^


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